WHITEFISH, Mont. – University of Providence women's basketball player Emilee Maldonado was named the Erck Hotels Frontier Conference Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday.

Maldonado was a massive reason why the #18 Argos (18-3, 5-1) took down #6 Carroll College and #15 Rocky Mountain College last week. The senior from Sunnyside, Wash. led the team in scoring both nights, recording 17 points against the Fighting Saints and 16 points against the Battlin' Bears.

"When you think of Emilee you think of calm, cool and collected," head coach Bill Himmelberg said. "She runs our offense, takes care of the basketball and makes big shots when you need it. She did all those things for us which is why we got big wins."

The Frontier Conference Preseason Player of the Year is living up to hype this season, averaging a team-high 16.5 points, 4.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game while also pulling down nearly five boards a night. She is shooting 41.8% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc on the year.

"She's going to do whatever it takes to try and get us the win," Himmelberg said. "If it's scoring points, getting rebounds, assists or steals - whatever she needs to do to give us a chance to win, she'll do it. She's a winner and that's what winners do. She makes the people around her that much better. It's nice to see her be able to do that."

As valuable as her on-court play is, her leadership might even be better. Combined with teammate Parker Esary, the two were able to keep the team focused prior to both Top 25 showdowns.

"She is an amazing leader," Himmelberg said. "Her and Parker both, they just work so well together. The team responds so well to them. The team just cares about each other a lot. That makes a big difference. It's been fun watching her grow from the time she came as a freshman until now."

Maldonado and the Argos will return to action on Jan. 20 with a road game up north to MSU-Northern. The game will tip-off at 5:00 p.m.