Rivals Argos, Saints come to Havre to face the Skylights

Every game, home or away, seems to be a big one for the Montana State University-Northern Skylights. That’s life in Frontier Conference women’s basketball.

The next two games the Skylights play are no exception to that either.

Tonight, the No. 11 Skylights (5-3, 15-4) are home to face arch rival UGF, before they wrap up their six-game home stand with a visit from Carroll College Friday night. Both games tip at 6 p.m. inside the Armory Gymnasium.

“Both nights present some major challenges for us, and we’ll need to play very well in both games to be successful,” Northern head coach Chris Mouat said.

Challenges indeed. The Skylights know full well how dangerous both the Argos and Fighting Saints are, having played them on the road earlier this month. But Northern also must shake off what was a grueling weekend that ended just five days ago with a loss to No. 2 Lewis-Clark State.

“Our effort was great, our kids gave their very best effort,” Mouat said after the battle with the unbeaten Warriors. “But we have to play better going forward. We have to execute better.”

The Skylights certainly have the firepower to do just that. Senior Natalee Faupel is on the brink of history, just six points shy of breaking Northern’s all-time scoring record, while she enters this weekend averaging 17 points and seven rebounds per game. Fellow senior Sierra Richards is also having a huge run of late, as she’s scoring 12 points, grabbing eight boards per night and has five double-doubles in her last 10 games. Jacy Thompson also averages 11 ppg, while Cydney Auzenne has started to heat up as well, and sophomore guard Katie Fertterer has really been giving MSU-N a big lift off its short-handed bench.

But with all that firepower, including an MSU-N defense that is No. 4 in the NAIA, allowing just 53 points per outing, the Skylights also know their next two opponents will be a handful, even if both teams are trending in the wrong direction.

When Northern beat UGF 61-47 back on Jan. 5, the Argos were ranked No. 13 in the country. Since that time however, the Argos (1-7, 12-7) have dropped six of their last seven conference games and currently sit in last place in the Frontier.

Still, UGF could break out of that slump at any time, and with All-Americans Stephanie McDonagh (5-9, 16 ppg), Nneka Nnadi (5-9, 13 ppg), as well as center Whitney George (6-4) in the middle, and the experience of former Big Sandy prep star Molly Herron (5-9) among others, the Argos are still an explosive offense team, and one that will have Mouat’s full attention tonight.

“Great Falls is a very experienced team, coming off of back-to-back Elite 8 appearances at the National Tournament.  They are super-talented and have some great wins over nationally ranked teams,” Mouat said.  “They have had a lot of close calls lately, but we know that this is a team that can play at both ends. Steph McDonagh is as good as anyone in the league and she can hurt you from all over the floor. Nneka Nnadi and Darah Huertas-Vining are both capable of huge nights offensively and are really tough matchups. Whitney George changes the game with her ability to rebound and block shots. They have been starting freshman Jenna Randich, and she is very good. Across the board, this team has a lot of weapons. We will have to be very sound defensively and on the boards, and we’ll have to do a good job executing on the offensive end.”

Then there’s the case of Carroll (3-5, 13-5). When Northern beat the Saints in a two-point thriller Jan. 7, Carroll was a nationally ranked team. However, that home loss was the start of a four-game losing streak that only ended with a win over Rocky last Saturday night. And while the Saints have struggled this month, they are still loaded with talent, and they still do what they always do well, play defense, rebound and shoot the three, as Carroll ranks third in rebounding and eighth in the NAIA in scoring defense.

Carroll also has a big edge in the paint, with star forward Cassidy Hashley (6-1) averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds per night. Hannah Dean (6-1) is her sidekick in the middle, averaging 10 ppg, while Baylee Watson (6-2) can do damage inside and out. Point guard Bailey Pasta (5-6) is also having a big season, and the Saints have plenty of dangerous 3-point shooters, including sophomore Sara Chalich (5-6).

“Carroll presents challenges to everyone in our league because of their depth, especially in the post. They are a matchup nightmare, and they are such a strong rebounding team. With three kids at 6-0 or better in the starting lineup, they have one of the biggest teams in the league,” Mouat said. “Their perimeter has been giving them a boost, too, so they have just become more complete as the Frontier season has gone on. Carroll is always very sound fundamentally and they always have a good plan. They are as good as it gets on the defensive end and on the boards.”

So even with road wins over the Argos and Saints under their belts, and even though the two rivals are a surprising 4-14 combined in league play, the Skylights are up against two huge challenges this weekend, and, with six straight games on the road upcoming, Northern needs to make sure and protect its home court, no doubt.

Tonight’s game between the Skylights and Argos gets underway at 6 in the Armory Gymnasium. Friday’s game between MSU-N and Carroll also tips at 6 p.m.