Box Score

The 16th-ranked UW-Parkside women's basketball team clinched at least a share of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Eastern Division title with a 72-65 victory over Indianapolis on Saturday afternoon. The Rangers hold a one-game lead over Northern Kentucky with a chance to clinch the outright championship on Thursday. Thanks to a sweep of the Norse in the regular season, Parkside will be the top-seeded team out of the Eastern Division in the upcoming conference tournament and has secured a first round bye.

Brittany Beyer led the Ranger offense with 23 points and Jadee Rooney had 22 points and seven assists. Jenna Endisch joined them in double figures with a dozen.

After a thriller between the two schools in late January they locked up in another classic on Saturday. Despite Parkside never trailing, the game was in doubt until the final seconds as the two regionally-ranked teams traded blows all day.

Two free throws by Eliza Wortman got the Greyhounds within a point with just 3:59 left in regulation giving the season's largest crowd some anxious moments against a squad who had won its last five visits to the DeSimone Gymnasium.
Beyer helped eased the tension as she scored underneath to increase the lead to three. After a steal by Rooney, Beyer got to the hoop again, this time for the lay-up and a foul. The ensuing free throw made it 63-57 with 2:59 to go.

After another empty possession for the Greyhounds, Danielle Slivka pulled down a huge offensive rebound and finished the put back for an eight-point lead.

Wortman scored moments later to trim it down to six but the Rangers had one more big shot in them. With the shot clock winding down Kaitlyn Bettiga drilled a three-pointer from the right wing, her only field goal of the game, to make it 68-59 with just 1:44.

Indy didn't quit getting within four with just 38 seconds left. But Rooney hit two freebies and Jaleesa Trussell secured a rebound on the next stop to put the game on ice.

Parkside finished the game shooting 49.1% from the floor while limiting the Greyhounds to just 34.4% from the field. Indy helped their cause with 18 offensive rebounds.

The Rangers were also tough defensively against the league's leading scorer Kristen Turner. The junior finished with 17 points but was just 5-for-20 from the floor to go with five turnovers.

Parkside did jump out to a 10-0 lead early in the game as the Greyhounds missed their first 15 shots from the field. They then scored 11 of the next 14 points to get right back in the game. Indy tied it at 22 before a late Ranger run provided a cushion prior to the break.

Seven straight points, including four by Endisch and a late three by Rooney, made it 34-26 heading to the locker room. The Rangers opened up as much as an 11-point lead early in the second half before Indianapolis rallied again to set up the tight finish.

The Rangers will wrap up the regular season on Thursday with a 5:30 tip-off against Lewis University. It will the annual breast cancer awareness “Pink Game” as well as Senior Night for the four Rangers playing their last game at the DeSimone Gymnasium. There will be a brief ceremony honoring Beyer, Bettiga, Rooney, and Amy Selk before the game.