SPORTS

Friday’s regional briefs

Lady Argos in Billings for exhibition game

BILLINGS — The University of Great Falls women will be in the Magic City on Saturday evening for a nonleague exhibition contest against the MSU-Billings Lady Yellowjackets at Alterowitz Gymnasium.

The 11th-ranked Lady Argos are 6-2, coming off a home victory over No. 10 Wayland Baptist last Saturday. It was the Flying Queens’ first NAIA loss of the season. Coach Bill Himmelberg’s Lady Argos dropped two of their three games at a tournament in Las Vegas, both against NAIA-ranked opponents Westmont and The Master’s College.

The Lady Jackets, 2-3 overall, play in the NCAA Div. II Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The team downed Chadron State (Neb.) 82-67 Friday night and have won two of their last three games.

Tipoff time is 5:15 p.m.

Lady Griz in Keystone State for tournament

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Montana Lady Griz hope to extend their winning streak this weekend on the road at the Christmas City Classic at Lehigh University.

Now 3-1 after dropping their season opener to Seattle, Montana will face host Lehigh on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 (Mountain Time), then will meet either Villanova or Drexel Sunday morning at 10. The Lady Griz have consecutive wins over MSU-Northern, Pacific and Portland.

Lehigh is off to a fast start this season, having won their first five games. The Mountain Hawks are averaging more than 80 points per game, with an average margin of victory of 26.2 ppg.

Villanova and Drexel are both 2-1 this season.

Cats, Cowboys continue Border Wars in Laramie

LARAMIE, Wyo. — Montana State and Wyoming will meet in the second game of their home-and-home series Saturday night at 6 at the Cowboys’ Arena-Auditorium.

The Bobcats, 3-2 this season, came away with an 83-82 win over the Cowboys in their first meeting Sunday at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. Senior guard Marcus Colbert, who is averaging 17.5 points in four games against Wyoming and leads the Cats with an 18.8 average this season, poured in 29 points against the Cowboys Sunday after draining 38 markers in their two meetings last season.

Wyoming, also 3-2, leads the all-time series 43-12, including 7 of 13 games at Wyoming’s “Dome of Doom.”

The Bobcats will play at Utah Valley State Tuesday night.

Americans bowl over Nationals on road

HAVRE — Tanner Congdon had two goals and an assist and Lauren Massie redirected 19 shots as the Great Falls Americans scored a 5-2 win over the Glacier Nationals in a NA3HL Frontier Division match at the Havre IceDome Friday.

The Americans grabbed the lead 4:49 into the game when Bernhards scored off a feed from Connor Barta, and made it 2-0 when Larson scored 53 seconds into the second stanza, with an assists from Tanner Congdon.

Brendan Echelbarger got the lone goal for the Nationals off a Tyler McMahon pass at the 5:00 mark of the second, but Congdon's two goals, both in the third period, proved too much for the Nationals.

Austin Krantz added a late goal for Great Falls, who outshot the Americans 48-21.

The Americans, 16-5, lead the Yellowstone Quake by five points (32-27) for the lead in the NA3HL Frontier Division. Glacier, at 2-15-2, was last in the division with six points.

The Americans play the Bozeman Ice Dogs Saturday night at 7:30 at the Haynes Pavilion.

Cat women take tourney opener in SLO

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Peyton Ferris led all scorers with 18 points and 10 rebounds Friday night to pace the Montana State Bobcats to an 81-55 win over the Evensville Purple Aces in the opening game of the Cal Poly Holiday Classic here.

Jasmine Hommes added 15 and Riley Nordgaard 11 for the Cats, who improved to 4-1 with the win. They will face host Cal Poly Saturday at 5 p.m. Mountain Time to wrap up the tournament.

Sara Dickey led the Purple Aces (1-3) with 13 markers.

Sport balls