LEWISTON, Idaho – The No. 20 Argos (13-6, 2-5) struggled to overcome a low scoring first period, 28-9, in route to an 88-64 loss against the No. 18 Lewis-Clark Warriors (14-4, 4-3) on Thursday evening.
 
Emilee Maldonado led all scorers in the contest as the only player to surpass 20 points with 23. She also tallied six rebounds, two assists, and a steal in the contest. Parker Esary joined Maldonado in double-digits with 10 points, while also pulling down four boards and stealing the ball once.
 
The Warriors had three players notch double-digit point totals with Jamie Nielson leading the way with 19, followed by Hailey Turner and Abbie Johnson with 14 and 13, respectively. Jossilyn Blackman led Lewis-Clark defensively with six rebounds, while Peyton Souvenir grabbed five steals.
 
The Warriors got on the board first, 3-0, but Maldonado would quickly respond to tie things up at three. The Warriors would go on a 17-2 run to take a 15-point advantage with four and a half minutes left in the first, 20-5. The Warriors would continue to outscore the Argos over the final minutes of the first quarter 8-4 to claim a 28-9 advantage.
 
The second period was a much better one for the Argos as they nearly match the Warriors point for point, 18-16. The Argos opened things up on a 10-4 run to cut the deficit down to 13, 32-19. The Warriors would however respond with their own 8-3 run to put their lead back at 40-22. Maldonado would nail a three to bring the deficit back down to 15, 40-25, but again the Warriors responded with six unanswered to close out the half with a 21-point lead, 46-25.
 
The Warriors went on s 12-4 scoring run over the first four minutes of the third period to take a 29-point lead at the six-minute mark, 58-29. Lewis-Clark would maintain a 30-point advantage over the next five and half minutes of clock to hold a 71-41 lead with 30 seconds to go, however Kenedy Cartwright would knock down a three to send the game into its final period with the Argos down by 27, 71-44.
 
The Argos would diminish the deficit down to 22, but Warriors wouldn't let Providence get any closer as they would eventually take the 88-64 victory.
 
Up Next
The Argos will return to the Treasure State as they take on the Montana Western Bulldogs on Saturday, January 19 at 5:30 p.m.