GREAT FALLS — Following Monday’s semifinal win over Carroll College, University of Providence head coach Bill Himmelberg said the Argos had yet to play their best basketball.
And if Tuesday’s 69-50 drubbing of Rocky Mountain College in the Frontier Conference championship game wasn’t their best basketball then the rest of the NAIA is in trouble at the impending national tournament. UP is now back-to-back league tournament champions.
The turning point of the game came at the end of the first quarter, with the Argos holding an 18-11 lead. Ainsley Thurber grabbed a rebound with under five seconds left and drilled a heave from half court to beat the buzzer and electrify her bench and Four Seasons Arena.
From that point on, the Argos controlled the game pushing the lead to as many as 25 points on the way to a second straight league championship. The Providence offense was clicking, with 21 assists on 26 field goals. The Argos also outrebounded the Bears 42-28 in a dominant performance on the boards.
Sophomore post Keanna Salave’a led the Argos with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Taliah Lee added 13 points while Ashlee Maldonado and Kolby Pimperton each scored 12 apiece. Maldonado and Monique Carter also dished lout five assists each.
Rocky Mountain struggled on offense, shooting just 35.3% from the field. Iliana Moran was the only Bears player in double figures with 10 points.
Fresno State transfer Sydney Dethman, who scored 25 points against MSU-Northern in the semifinals, managed just six points and two field goals. True freshman Paige Wasson scored nine points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Providence entered the season ranked No. 2 in the country, but went 1-4 in their first five conference games, but closed the season by winning 11 of their last 12 while ranked No. 21 in the NAIA. The Argos reched the national championship game in 2024 before falling to Dordt 57-53 in the final.
The Argos are well positioned to make another deep run in the NAIA tournament and will learn their first round assignment on Thursday, potentially even serving as a first round host site for a second straight year. By virtue of a regular season title and a 22-7 overall record, Rocky is almost a virtual certainty to make the tournament as well.
The final 64-team field and bracket will be announced on Thursday 5:00 p.m. on the NAIA Network.
