Skylights fall to Providence for third straight loss

On Saturday afternoon at Armory Gymnasium, the Montana State University-Northern Skylights were looking to improve their play and snap a two-game losing streak when they hosted the University of Providence. The Skylights were able to come out strong defensively to start the game, but the Argonauts could not be held back as UP eventually pulled away for a 74-48 victory.

"Once they gapped us a little bit, I think our heads might have gone down and their heads went up," MSU-N head coach Chris Mouat said. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy but I don't believe it should be that score at home. I think we need to look ourselves in the mirror and understand that everybody can do better, I can coach better, we can play better and we need to start doing that now."

Both teams came out slow to start the game with several turnovers. Neither team scored until Peyton Kehr made a reverse layup two and a half minutes into the game to give the Skylights the lead. But the next three minutes would belong to the Argonauts as they went on a 7-0 run led by Parker Esary with a couple of buckets.

The Skylights responded with a 5-0 run to tie the game thanks to a 3-pointer from Ryley Kehr and a bucket from L'Tia Lawrence. But they could not turn that run into momentum as the Argonauts ended the quarter on an 8-3 run to take a 15-10 lead into the break.

The Argonauts started the second quarter strong to extend their lead to 22-10 with six and a half minutes left in the half. The Skylights were able to cut their deficit to single digits but they could not get on a run as the Argonauts maintained momentum en route to a 33-20 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Skylights could not fight their way back as the Argonauts maintained control through the rest of the day. The Argonauts opened the second half on a 14-7 run to build a 47-27 lead with four minutes left in the quarter. The Skylights were unable to make a run the rest of the game to make a dent in the lead as the Argonauts went on to win 74-48.

Peyton Kehr finished the game leading the Skylights with 17 points as she went 6-for-8 from the field and 3-for-5 from the 3-point line. Lawrence finished the game with 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the field. Emilee Maldonado led the Argonauts with 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field. Kerstyn Pimperton scored 15 points for the Argonauts as she went 3-for-6 from deep.

The Skylights shot well from beyond the arc as they made 38.9 percent of their shots from deep. However, the Argonauts outshot them from the field as they made 51.9 percent of their shots compared to the Skylights' 36.7 shooting percentage from the field.

"They got out and they were physical with us and we didn't handle that very well," Mouat said about the UP defense. "We got to do a better job with ball protection and a better job with execution but when we do get a good shot, we got to start making it."

The Argonauts were also the more aggressive team down low as they outscored the Skylights 32-18 in the paint. The Argonauts also reached the free throw line 13 times compared to the Skylights' seven attempts at the charity stripe.

"They were aggressive in the dribble drive when we went man. They really did attack the rim," Mouat said about the Argonauts in the paint. "We need to be more aggressive when we commit to a drive."

The loss was the third in a row for the Skylights and it dropped them to 3-6 on the season and 0-2 in the Frontier Conference. The Skylights will have about a week before their next game. In that time, the Skylights will need to start getting things in order if they want to compete in the Frontier Conference this season.

"We have a lot of work to do and we have to do it now," Mouat said. "We've got to grow and we got to do it quickly. That's the challenge and that's what we're going to do. That's our job as coaches and their jobs as players."

The Skylights will next play at Dickinson State University Dec. 12.

University of Providence 74, MSU-N 48

University of Providence 13 20 27 14 - 74

MSU-Northern 10 10 14 14 - 48

UP - Emilee Maldonado 8-14 1-1 19, Kerstyn Pimperton 4-7 4-4 15, Reed Hazard 6-7 1-2 14, Parker Esary 6-12 1-2 13, Brooklyn Harn 2-5 2-2 7, Alicia Oatis 1-2 2-2 4, Maddy Dixon 1-6 0-0 2, Grace Weber 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 28-54 11-13.

MSU-N - Peyton Kehr 6-8 2-2 17, L'Tia Lawrence 5-12 0-0 12, Shyan Krass 3-4 0-0 6, Ryley Kehr 2-8 0-0 5, Morgan Mason 1-1 0-2 3, Sydney Hovde 1-3 1-1 3, Savannah Toms 0-1 2-2 2, Danielle Tyler 0-4 0-0 0, Sydney Prather 0-4 0-0 0, Dulci SkunkCap 0-3 0-0 0, ShaAnn Danelson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 18-49 5-7.

Halftime: UP 33-20. 3-pointers: UP 7-19 (Kerstyn Pimperton 3, Emilee Maldonado 2), MSU-N 7-18 (Peyton Kehr 3, L'Tia Lawrence 2). Rebounds: UP 31, (Maddy Dixon 9), MSU-N 19, (Sydney Hovde 6). Fouls: UP 11, MSU-N 13. Fouled Out: None