Box Score BILLINGS, Mont. – Battling neck-and-neck through regulation and into a second overtime period, the University of Great Falls emerged with an 89-84 victory over host Montana State University Billings Tuesday evening in Alterowitz Gym.
 
Antoine Hosley led all players with 33 points on 12 of 27 shooting and 4 of 9 from 3-point range, but the Argonauts rallied in the second overtime period to establish a lead and close out the game with the win.
 
"Once again I was proud of the effort our guys gave, especially on initial defensive possessions," said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. "They did some good things out there. UGF had a lot of second-chance points and we had too many turnovers. Overall, if our guys continue to play with great effort, good things will happen."
 
T.J. Harris had a team-best 23 points for UGF, also connecting on 4 of 9 from long distance. Darren Lockett finished with 21 points, and Matthew Hurn (11) and Sigman Farmer (10) were also in double-figures.
 
A costly turnover in the first minute of the first overtime led to four-straight points for the Argos, as a layup by Steven Daho and a pair of free-throws by Harris made the score 73-69. The 'Jackets responded well however, and rallied to tie the score at 79-79 as time expired in the first overtime period.
 
The Yellowjackets (0-5) held the lead for much of the game, first surrendering it on a layup by Daho with 2:30 remaining in regulation that made the score 65-63.
 
With the score tied at 67-67 and less than 30 seconds remaining, Harris converted a layup on a quick inbounds pass and the Argos immediately called a timeout with a two-point lead. Hosley countered with a coast-to-coast layup to tie the score again, and the Argos failed to score on the final possession of regulation as the game moved to overtime.
 
Playing without leading scorer and rebounder Austin Hudson, who was sidelined with an injury, MSUB committed 24 turnovers and shot 55.6 percent from the free-throw line (25-for-45). MSUB outrebounded UGF 43-40, and shot better from the 3-point line at 7-for-17 compared to 5-for-19 by the Argos.
 
Momir Gataric contributed 13 points, had five rebounds and three assists, and Emmanuel Johnson had a team-best 14 boards on the game. Senior Tyler Nelson also reached double-digits in rebounds with 11, and freshman point guard Kendall Denham had eight points, six rebounds and five assists.
 
For the Argos (7-2) Daho was a big contributor with a game-high 16 rebounds as well as six points. Farmer led the team with four steals, and Hurn grabbed six rebounds for UGF.
 
The teams traded buckets to open the game, before back-to-back 3-pointers by Marc Matthews and Hosley opened up a 12-6 advantage for the 'Jackets early on. A three by Dalton Groenewold cut the deficit in half, but four-straight points from Hosley pushed MSUB back up 16-9.
 
MSUB held onto the lead through the middle of the first half, but the Argos remained close as the score sat at 23-19 with six minutes remaining.
 
A fast-break layup by Hosley several minutes later extended the lead back to eight points for MSUB, and a three by Jace Anderson made it 33-23 with less than two minutes until the break.
 
Opening the second half with a seven-point lead, Hosley and Harris traded 3-point buckets as the score moved to 44-40. A steal and layup by Hurn cut the spread to two points, but MSUB regained a handle on the lead moving up 51-45.
 
A costly turnover by MSUB resulted in a dunk by Farmer with five minutes remaining, a finish that tied the score at 61-61. UGF took the lead on Daho's basket, and the teams elbowed even with one another down the stretch and into overtime.
 
UP NEXT: After Thanksgiving, the 'Jackets take on Black Hills State University on Saturday in another home game at Alterowitz Gym. Tipoff is set for an early time of 2 p.m., and the canned food drive will continue as a donation of one item will earn attendees half-price admission.