BUTTE, Mont. - For the second night in a row, the No. 17 Lewis-Clark State women's basketball team faced off a tough Frontier Conference opponent on the road. The Montana Tech Orediggers proved to be tough opponents as they took the matchup by a final of 72-68.

"I don't want to take anything away from Tech because they played really well," coach Brian Orr said. "But last night was an emotional win and I was really worried we could have a let down."

"Tech didn't play last night and that competitive advantage, combined with our lack of effort, and focus on defense is why we came up short," Orr added.

Jossilyn Blackman drew first blood for LC with a layup off her own offensive rebound at 8:55. Three minutes later, a jumper from Hannah Burland gave the Warriors a 6-5 lead. The teams traded baskets throughout the first quarter and Montana Tech led 18-17 after the opening 10 minutes.

Blackman put the Warriors back in front, 19-18, less than a minute into the second frame with an assist from Peyton Souvenir. Blackman hit a 3 with 3:52 remaining in the half to give LC a 28-26 edge over the Orediggers, and Souvenir hit a deep triple at the 3:00 mark to add to the advantage. Both were part of an 11-point run that had the Warriors leading 34-26 with 1:06 to play.

At the half, the Warrior women led 34-28.

Cali Moscrip hit a 3 coming out of halftime to get the offense going for LC in the third quarter. The Diggers fought back to tie the contest 39-39 before grabbing the lead at 5:55. Hailey Turner hit a 3-point buzzer beater to cut the deficit to 49-46 heading into the final 10 minutes.

Montana Tech widened the gap in the final quarter, leading by as much as 10, but the Warriors climbed back to keep the game within reach. Eight-straight points evened the game 68-68 with a minute to play. Burland sparked the run with a 3 at the two-minute mark, and 3s from Moscrip and Souvenir brought the lead within reach.

The Diggers were able to hold of the Warriors comeback and took the game 72-68

Moscrip and Souvenir led the Warriors with 14 points each. Blackman chipped in 13 and Burland added 11. Blackman finished a rebound shy of a double-double.

"We played fairly well on offense," Orr said. "19 assists with only eight turnovers are good numbers and we had a great run to tie the game with just under a minute to play. We were just unable to finish it and they made their free throws to hold on and get the win."

The Orediggers won the rebounding game 34-28.

The Warriors finish up the regular season on the road next weekend. They travel to MSU-Northern on Friday for a 5 p.m. PT game and conclude Frontier Conference play on Saturday at Providence.