Skylights nip Argos in a road thriller

The Montana State University-Northern women’s basketball program has always been good at shooting free throws under head coach Chris Mouat. And that consistency from the charity stripe paid huge dividends in MSU-N’s most recent rivalry game with the University of Great Falls Argos.

With her team trailing the Argos by one point Thursday night at the McLaughlin Center in Great Falls, junior Rachelle Bennett grabbed a critical offensive rebound with :03 left in the contest. Bennett was subsequently fouled on the board and faced two foul shots to send the Skylights to their seventh win of the season in Frontier Conference play. And Bennett delivered, sinking both shots to lift the Skylights to a 52-51 victory.

The win was Northern’s seventh straight against UGF and comes just six days after the Skylights beat the Argos 71-61 in Havre. The victory also pushed the No. 17 Skylights to 7-2 in conference play and an outstanding 17-4 overall ahead of Saturday night’s road trip to nationally ranked Lewis-Clark State.

From start to finish the game was tight, but down 51-50, Northern had two good looks at a game-winning bucket. UGF had just gone ahead on a Lindsey Abramson basket with :25 left. On Northern’s ensuing possession, both Natalee Faupel and A’Jha Edwards missed looks at the equalizer, but Bennett’s rebound and subsequent free throws wound up giving MSU-N a thrilling road win. In all, Northern was 6-of-6 from the line in the final two minutes as Edwards and Megan Feldman also made critical fouls shots down the stretch.

“We found a way,” Mouat said. “We didn’t shoot the ball well at all tonight. But we still found a way and that’s what matters.

“Rachelle Bennett came up with a huge rebound and made two big free throws,” he added. “We went 6-of-6 on free throws down the stretch and that was huge in a game like this. I’m just really proud of our effort to get this one.”

In what was supposed to be a high-scoring affair, the game turned into a tense defensive battle down the stretch. Northern and UGF traded leads seven different times in the second half, and while the Argos seemed to have the upper hand at times, huge 3-pointers from Kassie Barta and Megan Feldman stopped UGF from ever running away from the Skylights.

The first half saw much more offense on display. The Skylights went on a 8-0 run midway through the half, but UGF’s Erin Legel hit a trey to bring the Argos right back. Northern finished the half with a quick flurry and lead 30-36 at halftime.

Northern’s top-ranked defense was key once again, holding the Frontier’s leading scorer, Legel, to just five points. MSU-N held the Argos to just five threes and just 35 percent shooting for the game. However, Abramson nearly gave UGF the upset by herself. She scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. In Havre last week, Abramson was held to just six points and four boards.

“Credit UGF,” Mouat said. “They played great and Lindsay Abramson was great tonight. She was tough to slow down. We just have a ton of respect for UGF. They played two great games in a row against us.”

As great as UGF was, Northern was just a bit better. MSU-N did shoot just 33 percent from the field and made only 5-of-18 from beyond the arc, while getting out-rebounded 38-33. But the clutch free throws in the final two minutes and yet another double-double from Edwards was crucial. Edwards finished the game with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Feldman was also clutch, scoring 13 points. Bennett hit two of MSU-N’s threes and added 11 points, including the game-winning pair from the foul line. Faupel also chipped in with eight points.

Thursday night’s big win sets up an even bigger game for Northern Saturday night. The Skylights will face the No. 14 Warriors (8-1, 21-2) in Lewiston, Idaho, with a chance to inch even closer in the Frontier title race. But whatever happens in Idaho, the Skylights, and Mouat know just how critical their last-second win in Great Falls was.

“We survived and we’ll move forward knowing we need to clean up some things,” Mouat said. “But I’m really proud of our effort and the way we gutted it out and found a way to win it at the end.”

Northern’s game at LC State will tip at 6:30 p.m. M.S.T. Saturday night in Lewiston, Idaho. MSU-N is back home to host Montana Tech next Friday and LCSC Saturday.

Skylights 52, Great Falls 51

MSU-N - Megan Feldman 4-6 4-6 13, A'Jha Edwards 4-9 4-4 12, Natalee Faupel 3-11 2-2 8, Rachelle Bennett 3-10 3-4 11, Taylor Cummings 1-5 0-0 2, Kassie Barta 1-3 0-0 3, Kacie McKeon 1-5 0-0 3, Molly Kreycik 0-2 0-0 0, Taybra Teeters 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 17-52 13-16.

UGF - Mary Wilmore 2-7 1-1 5, Lindsey Abramson 12-23 2-2 28, Erin Legel 2-14 1-2 6, Taylor Statton 2-3 0-0 6, Darah Huertas-Vining 0-6 0-0 0, Mackenzie Owens 2-2 0-0 5, Nneka Nnadi 1-5 0-0 2. Totals: 21-60 4-5.

Halftime: Northern 30-26. 3-pointers: Northern 5-18 (Feldman 1-1, Faupel 0-2, Bennett 2-6, Cummings 0-1, Barta 1-3, McKeon 1-4, Kreycik 0-1), UGF 5-19 (Abramson 2-3, Legel 1-10, Statton 1-1, Vining 0-3, Oewns 1-1). Rebounds: Northern 33 (Edwards 12), Great Falls 38 (Abramson 12). Assists: Northern 12 (Cummings 4), UGF 14 (Legel 6). Steals: Northern 3, UGF 4. Turnovers: Northern 11, UGF 14. Fouls: Northern 13, UGF 19. Fouled out: none.