BILLINGS, Mont. – Argo men's basketball fell slightly short in both periods as the Rocky Battlin' Bears claimed a 75-69 victory on Thursday evening.
 
The Battlin' Bears (17-10, 8-7 Frontier) found success off the bench, outscoring the Argos 16-2 from their reserves, while also shooting better from beyond the arc in both periods, with 40 percent while the Argos (17-9, 8-7 Frontier) only averaged 12 percent from long-range.
 
Four Argos tallied double-digit point totals with Jalen Shepard leading the way with a game-high 18 points. Austin Starr and Jack Taylor notched 15 points apiece, followed by Brandon Cotton with 11. Starr tallied his first double-double of the season, collecting 10 rebounds, while Jaxen Hashley led the team with 11 boards, but fell just short of a double-double with eight points in the loss.
 
Craig Wilmore led the Battlin' Bears as he tallied 16 points, followed by Jared Samuelson and Clayton Ladine with 15 and 14, respectively. Samuelson controlled the post for Rocky, grabbing a game-high 14 boards. Wilmore dished out a game-high seven assists in the win.
 
Rocky opened the game on a 9-4 run, but the Argos responded with five unanswered to knot things up at nine. The Argos took a three-point advantage, 14-11, but the Battlin' Bears were able to respond with a three to tie the game back up with a little more than nine minutes left in the period. The Argos would take the lead one more time at the 3:28-minute mark, 25-24, but an 8-4 Rocky rally sent things into the locker room with the Argos down by three, 32-29.
 
The Argos came out of the locker room hot as they battled back to a 37-37 tie. The Argos carried their momentum in route to a 43-41 lead. Rocky would retake the lead, but the Argos would once again knot things at 49 and then take a 51-49 lead, but that was the last time Providence would hold an advantage. The Argos cut the deficit to two with two minutes to go, however a 9-3 Rocky run would push things to an eight-point Battlin' Bear advantage with 10 seconds to play before a Cotton layup would seal things, 75-69.
 
Up Next
The Argos continue their road trip as they travel to Helena on Saturday to take on the No. 7 Carroll Saints at 7:30 p.m.