Box Score

Springfield, Ill.- The UW-Parkside women's basketball team had its Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament title hopes dashed on a last-second basket on Thursday afternoon at the Prairie Capital Convention Center. Bianca Barton's streaking lay-up with 1.6 seconds left gave Kentucky Wesleyan a 73-71 win in the quarterfinals of the GLVC Tournament.
 
Fifteenth-ranked Parkside falls to 22-5 on the season. The Rangers will await Sunday night's NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Selection Show to find out who their opponent will be in next weekend's Midwest Regional. The games will likely be played in Ashland, Ohio.
 
Brittany Beyer led the Rangers with 20 points and five rebounds despite being limited to 23 minutes due to foul trouble. Jadee Rooney finished 18 points and seven rebounds.
 
Barton led four Kentucky Wesleyan players in double figures with 13.
 
A second half that featured seven lead changes and eight ties came down to the final possession after the Rangers had opened a seven-point lead with 6:03 remaining.
 
Parkside earned a 64-57 lead on a lay-up by Jenna Endisch before the Panthers clawed their way back in front. A 9-0 run in just 2:25 gave Kentucky Wesleyan a 66-64 lead; its biggest of the game. Barton, who shot 13 free throws on the day, hit two to tie it before a Karly Rhoads jumper captured the lead.
 
Endisch got it back to even at 66 with a pair of free throws at the 3:05 mark. Barton answered quickly with a lay-up for a 68-66 KWC advantage.
 
After an empty possession for each team, Rooney hit a clutch baseline jumper with 1:37 left, knotting the score at 68.
 
Each team came up empty again as the clock dropped under a minute. Kristen Rowe found T'Essence Phelps over the top of the defense for a lay-up with :32 left to make it 70-68 Panthers.
 
On the Rangers next possession, Rooney attacked the baseline and was fouled. She made the first free throw but had the second bounce off the rim. Amy Selk chased it down but was called for a travel as she gathered it in giving the ball back to KWC with 18 ticks left.
 
Phelps hit one of two free throws with 15 seconds left to make it 71-69.
 
After a timeout, the Rangers made the play that appeared to send the game to overtime. Rooney got to the rim and finished with just six seconds remaining to tie things up at 71.
 
KWC inbounded immediately to Barton who raced up the left side of the floor and threw in a runner high of the corner of the glass for the eventual game-winner with 1.6 left. The official also whistled a foul but Barton air-balled her free throw giving the Rangers one last chance.
 
Beyer threw a deep pass to Rooney behind the defense but it was just off her fingertips, bounding towards the baseline as time expired.
 
The Rangers outrebounded the Panthers, 48-26 but was hurt by 22 turnovers which Kentucky Wesleyan turned into 18 points.

Parkside was also hampered by foul trouble for much of the day as all four seniors and Jaleesa Trussell had three fouls by the middle of the second half. The game featured 46 fouls and 55 free throw attempts, both among the highest totals for a Ranger game this year.
 
Parkside used a 13-2 run midway through the first half to open up a 13-point lead. Five different players scored over that stretch for a 23-10 cushion at the 10:05 mark. KWC was able to trim the deficit to three before a late Parkside run made it 36-30 at the half.
 
The Rangers, who came into Thursday's game ranked second in the region, will now await their NCAA Tournament fate. They could be seeded anywhere from second to fifth depending on the outcome of the region's conference tournaments.
 
Check back to parksiderangers.com on Sunday evening to find out who and when the Rangers will play on Friday, March 9.