Box Score
The UW-Parkside men's basketball team suffered its second consecutive heartbreaking defeat falling to the University of Southern Indiana, 71-69 on Saturday afternoon at the DeSimone Gymnasium. Brandon Hogg's three-pointer with 23 seconds left helped the fifth-ranked Screaming Eagles improve to 6-0 (2-0 GLVC) while the Rangers fell to 4-3 (0-2 GLVC).

Jordan Mach led UW-Parkside with 17 points including three, three-pointers. Jeremy Saffold finished with 13 and Ziggy Riauka had nine.

Similar to Thursday, the game came down to the final seconds as both teams battled down the stretch answering one another's big plays. The Rangers faced a four point deficit when Kenyon Smith slashed into the lane for a bucket to make it 68-64, but the home team refused to quit.

Saffold knocked down a cold-blooded three-pointer with 1:18 to go. After forcing a USI turnover, Mach found Steve Jaskulske with a slick pass under the rim for a lay-up with 43 ticks left to give Parkside a 69-68 lead.

The Screaming Eagles took a timeout before Hogg knocked down the eventual game-winner moments later. He finished with a game-high 23 points.

Parkside had a final chance but Mach's entry pass was knocked away and USI advanced it up the floor to run out the clock.

The Rangers put together a strong night offensively against the league's best defensive team. They shot 50.0% from the floor (25-for-50), 70.0% from the three-point line (7-for-10), and a perfect 12-for-12 from the line. USI did counter by pulling down 16 offensive rebounds and shooting 58.6% themselves in the second half.

Parkside stormed out of the gates and built a 17-point lead just 10 minutes into the game. They opened the contest on a 12-2 run culminating with a thunderous dunk by Conrad Krutwig.

After USI cut the deficit to seven, the Rangers embarked on a 10-0 run to open up the 24-7 lead. Jordan Mach started it with a three, Sam Katula scored five straight points, and Leneal Harris sliced down the lane for the quick spurt.

The Screaming Eagles answered that with runs of 8-2 and 13-4 to get the game back within four points. Jeremy Saffold's put back just before the buzzer gave the Rangers a 36-31 advantage going into the break.

After a back-and-forth battle to start the second half, the Screaming Eagles finally found a way in front on a lay-up by Melvin Little with 11:20 left in regulation. They stretched it out to 61-55, their biggest lead of the game, on a pair of Lawrence Thomas free throws setting the stage for the exciting finish.

The Rangers will be back in action Tuesday night when they host Northland International at the DeSimone Gymnasium. Game time Tuesday is slated for 7:30 p.m.