Great Falls, Mont. - The No. 16 Lewis-Clark State Warriors faced a tough challenge on Friday night when they jumped back into Frontier Conference play against No. 13 Providence. After a close-fought match, they came away with their third-straight win over a ranked opponent with a 65-63 victory.

Jossilyn Blackman notched a double-double for the second-straight game with 13 points and 10 boards; It was her 13th game this season with double-digit points.

Hannah Burland did not hesitate to get the ball rolling with a quick 3-pointer to begin the game. She hit a second 3 at two minutes later to grow the lead to 8-3. Hailey Turner kept the 3's raining with the third Warrior trey of the quarter at 6:29. After the Argos battled back to jump in front 15-13, Peyton Souvenir and Delaney Henery went back-to-back with a layup and a 3, respectively, to give LC an 18-15 advantage at the end of the first frame.

Turner drained two free throws for LC to get their momentum going in the second quarter, extending the lead to 20-17. Jossilyn Blackman dropped in six points in a three-point span, including a pair of free throws and a pair of jumpers, to keep the Warriors in front by a slim margin of 28-25 half way through the period.

Jamie Nielson hit a deep 3 to break a 28-28 tie with 3:38 to play in the first half before Abbie Johnson hit a pair from the charity stripe at 2:38 to cap a small five-point run. Both teams were held off the board for the final two and a half minutes of the quarter and LC headed to the locker room leading 33-28.

The Argos drew first blood in the second half, cutting the lead to one before Johnson dropped in a layup at the eight minute mark to grow the advantage to 35-32. The basket sparked a run of six for Johnson. Cali Moscrip helped rebuild the LC lead with a triple from the corner at 4:35, giving the Warriors a 42-38 lead. The Warriors carried a 46-40 advantage heading into the final quarter.

The Argos evened the score 49 each with under eight to play in the contest before taking a 51-49 lead. Blackman kept LC close with a pair of buckets before Johnson gave the Warriors back the lead at 56-54 with a triple with 5:13 to play. Providence responded with a 3 to regain their momentum and the lead.

Blackman hit a basket with two minutes remaining to cut the deficit to one, and Turner evened things 61-61 with a free throw. Moscrip nailed a clutch bucket to put LC in front 63-62, then hit a free throw in the final 10 seconds. The Argos gained possession with three seconds to play, but LC was able to hang on to win 65-63.

"Tonight certainly wasn't our best performance of the year," Head Coach Brian Orr said. "But when a team can overcome their own deficiencies and still find a way to win on the road, it says a lot."

"What I really liked about tonight's game was our ability to regain the lead after we lost it late in the third quarter," Orr said. "That didn't happen very much at all last year."

Blackman led the Warriors in scoring with 13 points to go with her 10 rebounds. Johnson also found herself in double-digits with 11 points.

The Argos were led by Kenedy Cartwright's 16 points and Tristan Murphy's nine rebounds.

LC outshot the Argos from the free throw line, making 75 percent of their shots (15-20) compared to 50 percent (6-12). The defense was solid for LC, committing 10 steals against the Argos' four.

With the win, LC improves to 12-2 overall and 2-1 in Frontier Conference play.

The Warriors continue the road trip tomorrow in Havre, Mont. when they face MSU-Northern at 5 p.m. PST.