Northern hoops braced for a road rematch with the Argos

Both the Montana State University-Northern men's and women's basketball teams had tough games with the University of Providence to open Frontier Conference play earlier this month. And those games were in the friendly confines of the Armory Gymnasium.

Now, just two weeks removed, the Lights and Skylights have to face the Argos again - only this time, they'll do it the McLaughlin Center.

Tonight in Great Falls, the Skylights (1-5, 9-8) have a rematch with the No. 14 Argos (5-1, 14-3) at 5:30 followed, by the Lights (3-3, 13-5) and Argos (1-4, 7-8) doing battle at 7:30. Both games will be televised locally on SWX as the Whalen Tire Frontier Conference Games of the Week. The trip to Great Falls also ends a five-game road trip for Northern, which returns home to host Montana Tech Saturday night.

And the end of the road trip can't come soon enough for both MSU-N squads.

The Skylights, which are out of the NAIA Top 25 for the first time this season, will played their third straight game against a nationally ranked opponent, and, they're playing perhaps the hottest team in the NAIA right now. Providence has won five straight and has not only surged into the NAIA Coaches Poll, but after sweeping UM-Western and Lewis-Clark State last weekend, the Argos have also surged to the top of the Frontier standings.

"They're playing as well as anyone in our league right now," Northern head coach Chris Mouat said. "Maybe as well as anybody in the country for that matter. They're very, very good."

The Skylights are part of Providence' five-game winning streak, having beat Northern 56-48 back on Jan. 2 in Havre. And with stars like Steph McDonagh and Parker Esary, UP is playing like a national tournament contender right now.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Skylights have lost four straight, a streak that started with the setback against the Argos. Shooting, rebounding, injuries and playing extremely tough opponents on the road have contributed to Northern's slump, a slump that Mouat said his team is working hard to break out of.

"Our shooting percentages have really hurt us," Mouat said. "We're just not balanced enough right now. We're not getting the ball inside enough, and when we do, we're not finishing. We know we have to shoot the ball better, and we've got to do a better job on the boards. Those are things that we can control, and we'll work to improve on them.

"We're in a hole right now," he continued. "But these kids will keep fighting, keep working at it. We have to, because we know things don't get any easier. Providence is playing as well as anybody in the country right now. So it doesn't get any easier, but we're going to keep working to get ourselves out of this hole, step by step."

The Lights also find themselves in need of a win heading into tonight's game with the Argos. Northern lost two tough road games last weekend, including a last-minute setback at Western Saturday night.

Now, MSU-N goes into McLaughlin Center facing a Providence squad that's struggled out of the gates, but also played the Lights tough in a 74-63 loss in Havre on 2.

The Argos are deep and talented, led by DuShaun Rice, who is one of the top 3-point shooters in the Frontier. Jared Schulz and Matthew Brooks-McGregor are two more guards the Argos lean heavily on, and Providence also brings one of the top pressure defenses in the Frontier into tonight's game.

"Providence brings great athleticism and energy to the floor, which has to be dealt with if we expect success down there," MSU-N head coach Shawn Huse said. "They played great games this past weekend at Western and LC. With their inside, outside and transition games, they possess many weapons and are a threat in many ways. Our defense and offensive execution will certainly be put to the test again."

Of course, Northern is a team to be reckoned with, too. The Lights are one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country, led by sharp shooters Gabe Porter and Adam Huse, and their inside game is strong with Ryan Reeves averaging 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks per game. Northern is also among the league leaders in field goal percentage defense, so the Lights present plenty of challenges for the Argos tonight.

But, Northern has also had a tough time on the road, as has everyone else in the Frontier. When the Lights left for LC State last Wednesday, they were tied for first in the Frontier standings, but now they come to Great Falls at .500 in league play. So tonight's game is a big one if the Lights want to keep pace in the wide-open Frontier.

"I felt like we played really well this weekend," Huse said of the road trip to LC and Western. "But our guys keep preparing and fighting no matter what. There is still a lot of season left and all tough teams to get ready for."

The Skylights play the Argos tonight at 5:30 with the Lights and Argos to tip at 7:30. Both games are at the McLaughlin Center in Great Falls. Northern hosts Montana Tech Saturday night, followed by rematches with LC State and Western next weekend.