GREAT FALLS, Mont. — The Bulldog Men's Basketball team picked up their first win this season over the University of Providence Argos with an 87-65 victory. The Bulldogs are now 10-16 this season and hold a 5-8 Frontier Conference record.
"That was a really good team win. The guys were locked in and focused for 40 minutes." Head Coach
Mike Larsen said after the game.
How It Happened
The Bulldogs struck first as
Tanner Haverfield drained back to back threes to start the game. The Argos answered quickly by tying the game up at seven.
UMW then answered by going on a 17-6 run that saw tallies from four Bulldogs, including two threes from
Jok Jok that left the Bulldogs up 24-13 with 10:36 left in the first half.
A 3-pointer and a dunk from Jok kept the lead with the Bulldogs at 40-32 heading into the second half.
The Argos closed in on the Bulldogs at the start of the second, cutting their lead down to three points and forcing a Bulldog timeout. A quick 6-1 run just out from the timeout got the Bulldogs back in motion.
Brenton Woods and
Jamal Stephenson scored a pair of baskets, with Woods' going for 3, to give the Bulldogs their largest lead of the contest, 17 points, at 61-44 with 11:25 to play.
The two teams remained evenly matched through the final minutes of the game, with the Bulldogs edging the Argos in scoring 26-21 across the final ten minutes to take the win at 87-65.
"It was a great win to get, especially on the road. Providence is a good offensive team, but we locked down on defense. We just need to keep rolling onto the next game!" Senior
Jok Jok said.
Notables
- Montana Western made a season high of 33 field goals and 16 three-pointers in tonight's game. The Bulldogs recorded their best shooting percentage of the season after hitting 55 percent of their shots in tonight's matchup.
- The UMW bench provided 54 points, with three Bulldog reserves scoring double digits.
- The Bulldog defense totaled six steals, four blocks, and forced 10 Argo turnovers.
- Jok Jok led the Bulldogs after recording his first career double-double and scoring a career-high 19 points. He had 10 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. Jok was 3-6 from the arc and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line.
- Jamal Stephenson (13), Michael Haverfield (11), and Brenton Woods (10) each hit double digits.
- Tanner Haverfield added seven rebounds, with two on the offensive side of the boards.
Up Next
The Bulldogs are back home for their final two conference games of the season on Feb. 11 and Feb. 18. They will take on the MSU-Northern Lights on Saturday Feb. 11 at 4PM MST.
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