GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The University of Providence women's basketball cruised to a victory Sunday afternoon, defeating Montana Tech 77-53.

Emilee Maldonado led the way for the Argos, recording 23 points, six assists and four rebounds. Maddy Dixon notched a double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Parker Esary added 13 points and six rebounds before leaving the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury.

"We have a good group of girls," head coach Bill Himmelberg said. "I thought they responded very well tonight. It's always interesting to see how you're going to respond when Parker Esary went down. My heart sinks when that happens."

The Argos raced out to a lead in the first, and extended the lead to 35-17. They never looked back, emptying their bench early in the fourth quarter.

Himmelberg was pleased to see how his team responded without Esary on the floor.

"You never want your All-American to go down, but I was pleased how everyone else just stepped up," Himmelberg said. "We'll just continue to go and continue to get better. We had a quicker lineup when she wasn't in there. It allows us to do some different things. Everyone stepped up and increased their level."

Mollie Peoples led the Orediggers with 19 points and three assists. Dani Urick chipped in 13 points.

The Argos (6-4, 6-4) will have a quick turnaround, facing Montana State-Northern on Wednesday at 5 p.m.