DILLON — It should be a raucous atmosphere at the HPER Complex in Butte on Friday.
The Montana Western men used some sizzling 3-point shooting and a late stand to hold off Providence 68-62 in the Frontier Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Tuesday. That victory sets the stage for a semifinal clash against second-seeded Montana Tech in Butte on Friday.
"It's gonna be an unbelievable atmosphere up in Butte with our fans traveling and Butte fans coming out to watch them," Western coach Mike Larsen said after the game.
Max Clark led Western with 18 points, Jamal Stephenson had 13 and Tanner Haverfield scored 12. Clark had four 3-pointers and Stephenson hit three triples. Overall, the Bulldogs connected on a dozen 3-pointers, ten in the first half to race to a 39-22 lead.
From there, Providence slowly chipped its way back into the game and eventually whittled Western's lead to three points in the final minute. But freshman Ky Kouba hit a clutch floater with less than 30 seconds remaining to make it a five-point game and ice the win.
The Argos close the season at 11-17 overall and 2-13 in the Frontier Conference. Providence was paced by a game high 20 points from Brendan Howard.
Western and Montana Tech will tip off their semifinal game at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Frontier Conference Men's Basketball Scoreboard
MSU-Northern 74, Rocky Mountain College 67 (MSUN will play at No. 1 Carroll on Friday)
