GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Powered by a dominant first-half, the University of Providence men's basketball team opened Frontier Conference play with a win, defeating Rocky Mountain College 86-78 Thursday night in the McLaughlin Center.

The Argos (7-2, 1-0) had a dominant first half, outscoring the Battlin' Bears (4-4, 0-1) 44-27. Marcus Stephens and Rashee Stocks did a majority of the damage early; Stocks scored 15 points in the first half while Stephens scored 13.

"Those two came out firing in the first half," head coach Steve Keller said. "Rashee had a couple big threes early on for us that were huge for us. That really helped us gain a big lead early."

The squad managed to hold the large lead for a majority of the second half, until a Battlin' Bear run late in the second half. Up sixteen with 3:19 remaining, the Bears began pressing to speed up the tempo. It worked, and a couple three-pointers and layups later, the Argos were up only eight with 1:19 remaining. The squad managed to get two big defensive stops down the stretch, allowing them to run out the clock to secure the victory.

"They sped us up towards the end and forced a few turnovers," Keller said. "We missed some free throws there that didn't help. We'll sure those things up. Overall it was a good team win."

Stephens and Stocks both finished with a team-high 23 points on the night. Dawson Fowler filled the stat sheet for the Argos, recording 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists on the night. Elijah Oliver finished with 11 points off the bench.

Abdul Bah led the Bears with 25 points. Maxim Stephens added 18 points and nine rebounds while Kael Robinson added 12 points.

The Argos will have to put this one behind them quickly, as they'll take on MSU-Northern in Havre Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

"We'll have our hands full up there," Keller said. "Northern is a tough place to play. We have to be ready to go."