Box Score

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside women's basketball team had to shake off a few jitters in its GLVC Quarterfinal matchup against Northern Kentucky, but eventually powered its way to a 50-36 win. The Rangers improved to 22-6 with the win, and earned a trip to Springfield, Ill., and a semifinal matchup with Indianapolis. The Norse dropped to 20-9 with the loss.

“I thought this was one of our best defensive efforts of the year,” said head coach Jenny Kenesie. “We worked hard on getting a hand up in their faces on defense, and contested every shot.”

Both teams struggled to find success in the first 10 minutes of the game, as the Norse plodded their way to an 11-4 lead with 8:46 to go in the first half. 

That's when sophomore Brittany Beyer woke the Rangers up by converting a three-point play. That keyed a 16-2 Parkside run into halftime, which left the Rangers up 20-13 at the intermission. Beyer's five points in the stretch were only surpassed by classmate Jadee Rooney, who scored the last six points on the half, all on lay-ups.

“We really played tough defensively toward the end of the first half,” said head coach Jenny Kenesie.  “We got some deflections and steals, and that let us open the game up in transition a little.”

The second half mirrored the first half, as NKU cut into the Parkside lead with a 9-2 run, getting as close as 29-32 with 8:58 to play. Once again, the Rangers looked inside where Brittany Hogen's layup stifled the Norse momentum. NKU would not come any closer than four points over the last five minutes, as Parkside made all 10 of its free throw attempts over the last 1:30 to close out the game.

Rooney led the Rangers with 15 points, playing all 40 minutes. Senior Amanda Gibson added 13 points and three assists, while junior Brittany Hogen notched her 11th double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Hogen's 12 boards led Parkside to a 42-30 advantage on the glass, including a 12-5 margin on offensive rebounds.

“When teams are struggling shooting, you cannot give them second chances,” said Kenesie. “We really rebounded well and kept them away from second-chance opportunities.”

UW-Parkside will take on Indianapolis, the top-seed from the East Division on Saturday, March 6. The semifinal will be played at the TRAC on the campus of Illinois-Springfield at 12 Noon.