Lights are first to beat the Argos

The Montana State University-Northern Lights didn't get to play their arch rival in the Armory Gymnasium last week. Such is life during a pandemic. But when the Lights finally did take the floor against the University of Providence Argos, they proved it was worth the wait.

Saturday night in Great Falls, Northern opened a four-game road trip with a 96-85 win over the No. 10 Argos in the McLaughlin Center. It was UP's first loss of the season, and fittingly, it came in a shootout against the Lights.

"Tonight took an effort in many areas to make it happen," Northern head coach Shawn Huse said. "UP certainly showed their ability to knock down shots from everywhere on their end. And I was proud of how well we hung in there and kept finding buckets on our end. Everyone stepped up tonight our leaders were great and the rest of the group chipped in. It really felt like a total team effort."

It was a great game indeed, marked by an offensive display by both teams.

Northern exploded for 54 points in the first half, but the Argos weren't far behind, trailing by just six with 20 minutes left.

And while UP crept even closer in the second, the Lights never trailed, in what was their highest-scoring game of the season. MSU-N would shoot an incredible 61 percent from the field, make 14-of-24 3-pointers and miss just two free throws in an amazing offensive performance.

Individually, seniors David Harris and Mascio McCadney each scored 26 points with Harris making four threes and McCadney two more. Starting guards C.J. Nelson and Aaron Collins scored 11 each, as well, and combined for six more triples for the Lights, who offset a 22-point night from UP star Zach Darko-Kelly. The Argos also got 19 points from sophomore Dawson Fowler.

The Lights played well in the rematch with the Argos Sunday afternoon, but Providence got the better of Northern in the end. The Argos defeated the Lights 78-66 to make it a Frontier split in the McLaughlin Center.

Northern's shooting cooled off, as the Lights shot just 40 percent from the field, though they still made nine threes. Still, the Argos shot 52 percent from the field, led 41-25 at halftime, and while Northern rallied early in the second, UP never trailed.

Jomel Boyd scored 16 points and McCadney added 15 for the Lights. Harris also had a double-double for the Lights, with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Darko-Kelly poured in a game-high 25 points and Marcus Stephens scored 18 for the Argos.

"I was proud of how we played," Huse said of Sunday's game. "Our shots simply did not fall today like we would have liked, but we created ourselves many opportunities.Credit UP for staying hot tonight, jumping out of the gates much better than we did, and hanging on for the win. Defensively I thought we were OK but needed to get a few more stops. That's just basketball - when the ball is consistently not going in the hoop, you put a lot of pressure on your defense."

The split in Great Falls left the Lights with a 5-5 record in the Frontier, and 6-5 overall. Northern heads to Carroll College this Saturday and Sunday.

The MSU-Northern women did not play at Great Falls this weekend due to COVID-19. The Skylights should be back in action Saturday and Sunday at Carroll.

Lights 96, Providence 85

MSU-N - Naykel Shelton 3, David Harris 26, Mascio McCadney 26, CJ Nelson 11, Jomel Boyd 9, Aaron Collins 11, Allen Sims 0, TJ Reynolds 3, Zyare Ruffin 2. Totals: 35-58 12-14.

UP - Zach Darko-Kelly 22, Marcus Stephens 12, Dawson Fowler 19, Cap Uzan 17, Rashee Stocks 9, Jake Olsen 7. Totals: 31-63 13-18.

Halftime: Northern 53-47. 3-pointers: MSU-N 14-24 (Shelton 1, Harris 4, McCadney 2, Nelson 3, Collins 3, Reynolds 1), UP 10-21 (Stephens 3, Harris-Williams 2, Fowler 2, Uzan 2, Stocks 1). Rebounds: MSU-N 27 (Harris 8), UP 29 (Olsen 10); Fouls: MSU-N 14, UP 13. Fouled out: None.

Providence 78, Lights 66

UP - Zach Darko-Kelly 25, Marcus Stephens 18, Davian Harris-Williams 14, Dawson Fowler 6, Cap Uzan 3, JF Daho, Jake Olsen 8. Totals: 32-61 6-7.

MSU-N - David Harris 12, Mascio McCadney 15, CJ Nelson 5, Jesse Keltner 2, Jomel Boyd 16, Aaron Collins 6, Allen Sims 5, TJ Reynolds 0, Zyare Ruffin 5. Totals: 23-56 11-16.

Halftime: UP 41-25. 3-pointers: MSU-N 9-26 (Harris 2, McCadney 4, Nelson 1, Collins 2), UP 8-19 (Darko-Kelly 2, Stephens 2, Harris-Williams 2, Uzan 1, Daha 1). Rebounds: MSU-N 26 (Harris 11), UP 37 (Fowler 9). Fouls: MSU-N 19, UP 16. Fouled out: None.