Lights fall to Providence in semifinal thriller

On Monday night at the Great Falls Four Seasons Arena, the Montana State University-Northern men's basketball team found itself in a thriller. In the semifinal game of the Frontier Conference Tournament, the Lights went back and forth with the University of Providence. Despite the Lights' best efforts, they lost, 72-70, to end their run in the tournament.

The Lights did their best as they fell behind by double digits at multiple points in the contest. They were able to fight their way back to tie the game, 70-70, heading into the final 30 seconds of regulation. But after a Northern turnover, Jake Olsen made a layup to give the Argonauts the lead with 11 seconds left. On their last possession, the Lights failed to score to either tie the game or take the lead as time ran out.

The Lights and Argos started the game exchanging scores. After an early 8-8 tie, Sam Vining knocked down a shot and Olsen made a free throw to give the Argos an 11-8 lead. The Lights came right back with a bucket from Anthony Braggs Jr. and a free throw from Tanner McCliment-Call to tie the game once again.

The Argos took the lead with a 6-0 run over the next few minutes. After a free throw from Braggs Jr., the Argos went on a 10-0 run to push their lead to 27-12 late in the first half. Marcus Stephens got rolling with five points during this stretch.

But the Lights battled back thanks to a 14-4 run. Zackry Martinez got rolling for the Lights with 10 points during this run, including a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 31-28 late in the half. But a bucket from Kenny Curtis gave the Argos a 33-28 lead heading into halftime.

The Argos then started the second half on an 8-2 run to extend their lead to 41-30. They continued to play well through the early portion of the second half to build themselves a 53-38 lead with about 13 minutes left in the contest.

With their backs against the wall, the Lights went on a 14-2 run to get back in the game. Martinez and Dae'Kwon Watson each scored five points for the Lights and Jesse Keltner made a layup to make it a 55-52 game.

The Argos tried to retake momentum as they extended their lead to 62-54. The Lights responded with a 14-6 run to get back in the game again. Keltner got rolling with eight points during this stretch. Martinez also made an impact with a pair of threes, including one that tied the game, 68-68, with about three minutes left in the contest.

The Argos retook the lead with a bucket from Olsen, but the Lights responded with a dunk from Keltner. The game remained tied heading into the final 30 seconds of the contest. But a Northern turnover resulted in the Olsen bucket that won the game for the Argos.

The Lights finished the game shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from deep. Martinez left it all out on the floor as he scored 31 points on 12-for-19 shooting from the field and 5-for-9 shooting from deep. Keltner also had a strong game with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Argos were lights out shooting 53.6 percent from the field and 35 percent from deep. Stephens and Olsen each scored 17 points in the win for the Argos. Vining also added 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 shooting from deep.

The University of Providence men's basketball team will next play Montana Tech in the Frontier Conference championship game tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Great Falls Four Seasons Arena.

Providence 72, MSU-Northern 70

MSU-N - Zackry Martinez 12-19 2-2 31, Jesse Keltner 7-12 0-1 14, Dea'Kwon Watson 3-8 2-2 9, CJ Nelson 3-14 0-0 6, Immanuel Anderson 3-4 0-0 6, Anthony Braggs Jr. 1-2 1-2 3, Tanner McCliment-Call 0-2 1-1 1, Terry Holmes Jr. 0-1 0-0 0, Myles Dalton 0-1 0-0 0, Micaiah Hauser 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 29-64 6-8.

UP - Marcus Stephens 6-14 2-3 17, Jake Olsen 8-10 1-2 17, Sam Vining 4-6 0-0 10, Kenny Curtis 4-9 0-0 9, Davien Harris-Williams 3-12 2-3 8, Drayton Caiole 3-3 0-0 7, Caleb Currington 1-1 0-0 2, Eric Milner 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 30-56 5-8.

Halftime: UP 33-28. 3-pointers: MSU-N 6-19 (Zackry Martinez 5), UP 7-20 (Marcus Stephens 3). Rebounds: MSU-N 29 (Jesse Keltner 7), UP 27 (Marcus Stephens 8). Fouls: MSU-N 11, UP 12. Fouled Out: None.