GREAT FALLS, Mont — Seniors Sarah Curl and Karli McHone led the Pacific women's basketball team offensively, but the combined 32 points was not enough to push the Boxers to victory as Great Falls topped Pacific 68-52 inside the McLaughlin Center on Friday.

Great Falls and Pacific traded early baskets, before a 3-pointer by McHone (Glenns Ferry, Idaho) gave Pacific its first lead of the day at 5-4. The Lady Argos, ranked No. 14 in the NAIA Division I Coaches Poll, answered McHone's 3-pointer with five-straight points to take a four-point advantage. The Boxers continued to answer the hosts makes with baskets of their own, as Great Falls held a 3-point lead entering the final minute of the quarter. Inside the 50-second mark, McHone hit another 3-pointer to send the teams to the quarter break tied 14-14.

Megan Wesel (Winchester, Calif.) opened the second period scoring with a jumper in the paint at the 8:16 mark, giving Pacific a two-point advantage. Over the next three minutes, the two sides tied twice with the Lady Argos regaining the lead with made free throws by Nneka Nnadi just outside the five minute mark.

After Great Falls took a two-point lead at 4:02 on a 3-pointer by Stephanie McDonagh, neither team was able to score over a two-minute stretch. Nikki Gilbert (East Wenatchee, Wash.) broke the drought with a 3-pointer to put Pacific up by one, but the final basket of the half came from Great Falls and the two teams went into halftime with the Lady Argos up 25-24.

Great Falls came out of the locker room strong in the second half, pushing out to a 14-point lead by the 3:06 mark of the third quarter. McHone, Curl, Leah Bassik (Anthem, Ariz.) and Erica Pagan (Kailua, Hawaii) combined for nine points in the final two minutes to help the Boxers pull within eight before the quarter ended with Great Falls up 45-37.

The fourth quarter saw the Lady Argos push out to a 19-point lead entering the final 1:44 in regulation, but late baskets by Sarah Alanis (Riverside, Calif.) and Bassik cut the final deficit to 16 points before time expired on a 68-52 Great Falls victory.

Curl led Pacific with 18 points, while also grabbing six rebounds and two steals. McHone hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 14 points and a pair of steals on the day. Merrily Jones (MIlwaukie, Ore.) led Pacific with seven rebounds.

The Boxers continue a three-game trip in Montana tomorrow evening against the Skylights of Montana State-Northern. The Boxers and Skylights are scheduled to tip-off at 6 p.m. (PST) [7 p.m. local, MST].