GREAT FALLS — Providence defeated Reinhardt (Ga.) 80-69 in the second round of the NAIA women's basketball tournament and will move on the championship sight in Sioux City, Iowa.
Ashlee Maldonado finished with a game-high 23 points and six assists. Maddy Dixon, Keanna Salave’a and Taliah Lee combined for another 38 points for the Argos.
Providence jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, but Reinhardt evened the score at 6 and controlled the rest of the first quarter. The Eagles held Providence to 26% from the field in the opening quarter, which put the Argos in a 17-11 hole.
The Argos trailed until under four minutes in the second quarter when a free throw from Salave’a evened the score at 23. They then went on a 13-4 run to end the first half to go ahead 36-27 heading into the locker room.
Providence went ahead by as much as 15 in the third quarter and had a 59-47 lead going into the fourth. Reinhardt quickly cut into the lead, making it just a six-point game at 61-55. The Eagles kept chipping away at the lead and eventually only trailed 67-64 with under four minutes to go.
Lee stepped up for the Argos, draining back-to-back 3-pointers down the stretch and giving Providence a 73-66 lead. Reinhardt’s Niya Moon answered with a triple of her own to make it just a four-point game. But with just around a minute to go, Dixon scored a layup which sealed the deal.
