HAVRE, Mont. – The University of Providence women's basketball team got off to a hot start and never looked back, defeating Montana State – Northern 53-41 on the road Thursday night.

The Argos (11-7, 3-4) outscored the Skylights (15-5, 4-4) 15-7 in the first quarter and 16-5 in the second to take a 31-12 lead into halftime. The Skylights cut the lead to 10 in the 4^th quarter, but solid execution from the Argos down the stretch helped solidify the victory.

"We closed out the game the way we should have," head coach Bill Himmelberg said. "We had a double digit lead early and held onto it the whole way. They never got under that. I'm just proud of our kids for making plays when we needed it."

Parker Esary led the way for the Argos, scoring 18 points and pulling down 18 rebounds. Emilee Maldonado contributed 15 points and 6 assists. Hailey Nicholson led the way for the Skylights with 14 points and 8 rebounds.

"Parker was just incredible tonight," Himmelberg said. "Emilee did exactly what she was supposed to. They are great players. I was proud of how they executed tonight."

After a four straight games on the road, the Argos will return to Great Falls Saturday night when they take on Carroll College at 5:30 p.m.