BUTTE — Montana Tech's men's and women's basketball teams ended the first lap of Frontier Conference play on a high note, sweeping through the University of Providence on Saturday afternoon at the HPER Complex.
The Oredigger women fended off the No. 23 Argos 62-58 while the No. 11 Tech men surged in the second half to an 81-56 victory. The Oredigger men, who won their third straight game against Providence, are now tied atop the league standing with Rocky Mountain College at 4-1.
In the women's game, Liv Wangerin poured in a team-high 14 points and Avery Carlson added 10 as Tech (12-6 overall, 3-2 in league play) took a 33-29 lead into the break and never allowed Providence to catch up as the Orediggers ended a six-game skid against the Argos that stretched back to January 7, 2023.
Hadley Humphreys added nine points for Tech and Aubrie Rademacher scored 8.
Providence (11-6, 1-4) was led by a game-high 19 points from Ashlee Maldonado, 11 from Keanna Salave'a and 10 from Monique Carter.
The men's game saw the Orediggers grab a 37-34 halftime lead that expanded quickly after the break. Tech (16-2, 4-1) outscored the Argos 44-22 in the second half en route to their fourth straight victory.
Hayden Diekhans led all scorers with 19 points, Michael Ure had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Ifeanyi Okeke scored 12. Connor Michaud and Josh Coulanges also contributed with 10 points apiece.
Providence (9-9, 3-2) was led by 12 points from Antoine Boyd Jr., 10 from Jamil Bowles, nine from Ryan Chavez and eight apiece from Mike Wright Jr. and Nikolajs Atanasovs.
Montana Tech hosts MSU-Northern on Thursday while Providence travels to Rocky Mountain College.
