DILLON, Mont. – Down by 23 points midway through the second quarter, the #19 University of Providence women's basketball team mounted a ferocious comeback to defeat Montana Western 72-66 in overtime in Dillon, Mont.

The Bulldogs (14-11, 4-9) came to play, running out to a dominant 23-4 first quarter to put the Argos (23-5, 10-3) in a 19-point hole. They extended the lead to 23 points in the second quarter, before a late second-half Argo run cut the halftime deficit to 17 points.

"Western came out and punched us in the mouth," head coach Bill Himmelberg said. "They were playing harder than us. They had a good plan and attacked us on both ends."

The Argos came out of the break determined, outscoring the Bulldogs 25-8 in the third quarter to tie the game at 43 heading into the fourth. Providence extended their lead to 57-49 with six minutes left, but went on a scoring drought, allowing the Bulldogs to come back and take a 60-57 lead with 26-seconds remaining. Himmelberg subbed in freshman Delaney Pink, who hit a three-pointer off an assist from Kerstyn Pimperton to send it into overtime.   

"I'm happy for Delaney," Himmelberg said. "That was a big shot for a freshman in that situation. We have a lot of confidence in her to take that shot and she converted. What a big moment for her."

The Argos attacked the paint in the extra period, converting 10-of-10 free throw attempts to out score the 12-6 to snag the victory.

"I'm really proud of how we responded being down that much," Himmelberg said. "We competed in the second half on both ends. It takes a lot of grit and determination to make a comeback like that. It just shows the kind of group we have. We're never going to quit."

After only scoring three points in the first half, Emilee Maldonado scored 25 points in the final 25 minutes to lead the team with 28 points. Parker Esary recorded her third straight double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. Brooklyn Harn came off the bench and scored 12 points and pulled down eight boards, while Maddy Dixon nearly missed a double-double with eight rebounds and nine points.

Four Bulldogs scored in double-figures on the night, led by Brynley Fitzgerald, who recorded 24 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sydney Sheridan finished with 14 points and four assists, while Mesa King and Shainy Mack both finished with 10 points.

The Argos will compete in their final road game of the season on Saturday against Montana Tech. That game will begin at 2:00 p.m. in Butte.

"We're going to enjoy this one for tonight, but we're going to have to readjust quickly," Himmelberg said. "Tech gives us a lot of matchup problems so we're going to have to be focused if we want to come away with a win in a very tough environment."