GREAT FALLS — The NAIA national women's tournament tipped off Friday, with Frontier Conference tournament champion Providence earning the right to host first- and second-round games at the McLaughlin Center.
The fifth-seeded Argos welcomed in the No. 12 College of Idaho Yotes, and the second game featured No. 4 Georgetown (Ky.) taking on No. 13 Jamestown (N.D.).
Providence — who already beat College of Idaho 71-61 earlier in the season — seemed like it was going to survive the upset attempt from the Yotes in the third quarter by going ahead by as many as 11 points. That was until the fourth quarter.
College of Idaho took advantage by mounting a comeback, and with the score 51-49 in favor of the home team in the final moments, Taryn Riley of the Yotes put in a basket to force overtime.
With the game then tied up again 56-56 in the extra frame, the Yotes' Ashton Adamson put in what became the game-winning basket with two seconds to go, lifting her team to a 58-56 upset of last year's national runner-up.
The Yotes, coached by Broadview native and former Montana Western standout basketball player Kyle Erickson, were led by 13 points from each Anna Mooney and Riley. College of Idaho also held Providence to only 11 total points between the fourth quarter and overtime.
In the second game, Jamestown looked to also pull off an upset of Georgetown. Although the Tigers came out the gates on fire, outscoring the Jimmies 25-18 in the first quarter to set the tone of the contest.
But the game would for all intensive purposes be put away in quarter number two, as Georgetown scored 35 points on 10-of-19 shooting to take a halftime lead of 60-33.
From there, the Tigers cruised to a 93-62 victory.
Georgetown and College of Idaho will battle it out Saturday at 5 p.m. for the right to advance to the NAIA final national site in Sioux City, Iowa, for the Round of 16.
