Box Score
The UW-Parkside women's basketball team took the first step in returning to the Great Lakes Valley Conference finals. The team hung on to beat visiting Bellarmine 69-59, in a first-round game in the DeSimone Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
Bellarmine came into the contest as the league's No. 11 seed. UW-Parkside was the No. 2 seed.
The Rangers advance to the GLVC's Final Six held on the campus of Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri. By virtue of being the No. 2 seed, UW-Parkside will now have a second round bye. They will play Saturday, March 5, at 6:00 p.m. in a semi-final contest. The Rangers will battle the Drury-Lewis winner. The Panthers and the Flyers will have it at the day before.
The Knights saw their season draw to a close. The team ended with an 11-16 overall record.
UW-Parkside, ranked No. 4 in the Midwest Region, is now 22-5 overall.
Parkside came out of the blocks early, jumping to a 14-5 lead just 7 minutes into the game. Jadee Rooney knocked down a three-point shot a minute later to give the Rangers a double digit lead.
The Rangers led, 42-26 at halftime, on the strength of 59 percent shooting from the floor. The team out-boarded the Knights, 19-8 in the first 20 minutes, which included seven offensive rebounds.
The Knights returned the favor early in the second half, chopping the margin down to one point at 53-52, mid-way through the second half.
Rooney gave the Rangers some breathing room at 57-52 with a key-hole jumper with a few ticks more than 9 minutes left in the game. Moments later, Brittany Beyer scored underneath for a 61-54 gap with 6:41 to go. Amy Selk knocked down a 17-footer with just under 3 minutes to play for a 67-59 lead and the Rangers were on their way.
“It was a disappointing second half which reflected how we practiced all week,” Ranger assistant coach Brad Fischer told WRJN radio immediately after the game. “I thought we were gamers in the first half and it might have taken a kick in the teeth for us to re-gain our energy. Bellarmine, with no seniors on their team, is going to be really good.”
Hogen ended with 19 points. Rooney finished with 16, while Beyer and Selk added a dozen points. Kaitlyn Bettiga, the league's top player in assists, dished out 10.
The win by the Rangers capped a perfect 15-0 season at home.
