AN ARMORY SHOWDOWN OF EPIC NAIA PROPORTIONS

The Montana State University-Northern Skylights have just one non-conference game left on their schedule. And it's a big one.

On Saturday, the Skylights will be in the Armory Gymnasium for an NAIA showdown with the Our Lady of the Lake Saints. The matchup pits two highly ranked teams against each other as the Skylights (8-4) come in at No. 22, while the Saints (9-4) make their first-ever trip to Montana ranked No. 17.

The Saints are also the first nationally ranked team not in the Frontier Conference to visit Havre in several years, and that has Northern head coach Chris Mouat excited.

"This is the best non-conference team we've had in our gym in a long time," Mouat said. "They have a huge tradition, especially in coach Minner's time. He was the national coach of the year a few years ago, and they were the number one team in the nation almost the entire season. He does a great job with his program and constantly has them highly-ranked. What he also does is set up a schedule that is probably more challenging than anyone's in the nation. They have already played some of the very best teams, and they have some huge wins. They are as talented, top to bottom, as anybody in NAIA Division I."

In fact, both the Skylights and Saints have played rigorous schedules, and both are coming off remarkable 2016-17 campaigns in which each won games at the national tournament last spring in Billings. So far this year, the Saints have played four nationally ranked NAIA opponents, while the Skylights have faced three, not to mention a pair of NCAA Division II teams as well.

So both teams come into Saturday night's game clearly battle-tested, while the Saints will be Montana-tested as well, as they play Providence tonight in Great Falls.

But being battle-tested is only part of the equation. The Skylights will have their hands full with the Saints' talent and athleticism as well.

The Saints come into the weekend averaging 87 points per game and play an up-tempo, fast-paced brand of basketball. They also have depth from top to bottom, as 15 different players have found the stat sheet so far this season. Four starters average in double figures for the Saints, led by point guard Quintianna LeShore (5-5) who averages 17 points per night. Fellow guards Francesca Patrick (5-5), Kasey Saldana (5-3) and Lena Wilson (5-7) are all double-digit scorers as well, while Destinee King (5-11) and Rachel Baity (5-11) are the Saints' main weapons in the paint.

"Quintianna LeShore really does a great job running the point for them," Mouat said. "She is lightning-quick to the rim and about as fast a player as we've seen in a while.  She really pushes in transition and makes them go. Around her, they have a ton of depth both on the perimeter and in the paint. They are extremely athletic across the board and are a team who utilizes constant pressure in both full and half-court. They create a lot of turnovers and convert them to points as well as anyone we've seen. Taking care of the ball is going to be vital for us in this game, and we are going to have to do it the entire time because they simply don't let up.

  "Looking at their stat line, what jumps to me is that so many kids contribute for them," he continued. "Coach Minner recruits to his system really well, and his kids play as hard as anyone. They have about 10 kids playing 15 minutes per game or more, and they all bring something to the table at both ends. As a team, they shoot it really well from the 3-point line, and they are deadly off of the dribble to the rim."

The Saints will indeed present big challenges for the Skylights, but Northern will do the same for the visitors. MSU-N's bread and butter is its defense, as the Skylights allow just 55 points per game, with Jacy Thompson and Peyton Filius both having big seasons on the defensive end of the floor.

Offensively, Northern's depth has been hurt by injuries as of late, but Thompson and Filius are combining for 28 ppg, while senior Brandy Lambourne averages 11 and dishes out six assists per night. Jessica Curl and Kealani Sagapolu are key for the Skylights inside. Curl averages 10 ppg and eight rebounds per night, while Sagapolu averages seven and seven.

Northern should also be bolstered by the return of Shiloh McCormick, who has missed the last month with an injury. McCormick had been averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds before suffering a leg injury last month in Utah.

And the Skylights will need all hands on deck when the Saints get to town Saturday night. Again, it's as big a non-conference game as has been played in the Armory in a long, long time, and it's one Mouat and the Skylights have been looking forward to, especially with Frontier Conference looming again.

"This is an exciting opportunity for our team," he said. "We get to have a great team on our home floor, and we get to see a style of play that is very different from what we see in the Frontier.  I have to believe that the experience of playing a team like Our Lady of the Lake will only help us as we move into the thick of the conference season. This game will challenge us on so many levels, and I think it will help show us where we need to go moving forward. We are going to have to be sharp for a full 40 minutes and bring our very best because we know they are very good."

Saturday's showdown between the Skylights and Our Lady of the Lake is set to tip at 5:30 p.m. in the Armory Gymnasium. The Skylights are not playing Concordia of Alberta Friday night. Northern then returns to Frontier Conference play Tuesday night when the Providence Argos visit Havre.