GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The Rocky Mountain College men's basketball team lost its third straight game on Saturday with an 86-79 loss at the University of Providence on Saturday night in Frontier Conference play.
 
Rocky (6-3, 0-2 Frontier) got off to a fast start as they raced out to a 16-5 lead less than seven minutes into the game. Providence (7-3, 1-0) then countered with an 11-0 run before Rocky took a 38-34 lead into intermission.
 
The opening five minutes of the second half featured three ties and seven lead changes and the game was even at 47-47 with 14:55 to play. The Argos' offense turned things around over the ensuing nine minutes as they home squad built a 73-62 advantage. The Battlin' Bears couldn't get closer than five the rest of the night.
 
Rocky struggled with turnovers in the game. The Battlin' Bears saw their 15 turnovers result in 15 points for the Argos. Rocky shot 45.2 percent from the floor and made nine 3-pointers. They got nine points from 10 offensive rebounds.
 
Latrelle Franklin led Rocky with 24 points, including a 3 of 4 performance from beyond the arc. He would also collect five rebounds with one steal and one blocked shot.
 
After shooting 37.9 percent in the first half, Providence rallied to make 55.2 percent in the second and finish the game at 46.6 percent. The Argos had a 43-39 edge in rebounds and they scored 36 points in the paint.
 
Jared Samuelson added 18 points and six rebounds for the Battlin' Bears. Danny Betcher led the team with 10 rebounds.
 
Sergio Berkley gave Providence a huge scoring night with 33 points in 25 minutes off the bench.
 
Rocky now gets set for an exhibition game at MSU Billings on December 9. Tipoff from Alterowitz Gymnasium is slated for 7:30 p.m.