Box Score
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media Relations

Box Score

SOMERS, Wis. (Jan. 12, 2013)-- It was a clash of division leaders on Saturday afternoon inside DeSimone Gymnasium, with the Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division leading University of Wisconsin-Parkside men's basketball squad getting the last laugh, taking control in the second half to down West Division leader William Jewell College, 77-69, for the Rangers fourth straight victory.

The Cardinals (6-6, 2-2 GLVC), entered the contest alone in first place in the GLVC West standings while the Rangers (9-3, 4-0) were in a three-way tie atop the East with seventh-ranked University of Indianapolis and sixth-ranked Kentucky Wesleyan College.

UW-Parkside got off to a sluggish start on Saturday, spotting the visitors an early 7-0 lead. A three the old fashioned way by Zygimantas Riauka gave the Rangers' their first lead of the afternoon at 12-11 with 12:27 remaining in the opening half. The Cardinals reclaimed the lead on the next possession before Nick Neari drained a shot from beyond the arc, giving the home side the 15-13 edge. The Rangers would never trail the rest of the way, building an eight-point buffer with five minutes left in the first half and enjoying a 36-30 lead at intermission after Conrad Krutwig drained a three with 31 seconds left.

The Cardinals tied the game on five occasions in the second half but the Rangers answered the call each time, the last of which occurred after Devonte Bell hit a trey with 13:44 remaining, deadlocking the contest at 49-49. The Rangers quickly retaliated with a three from Bryant Smith and accounted for the next eight points. UWP held at least a five-point cushion the rest of the way en route to their fourth conference victory in as many tries.

"We came into the game knowing it was going to be a slugfest and that's exactly what it was," said head coach Luke Reigel whose squad is off to its first 4-0 GLVC start in program history.

Jeremy Saffold led the Rangers with 23 points while finishing one rebound shy of a double-double while Colt Grandstaff came off the bench and posted a career-high 20 points, finishing the game shooting eight-for-15 from the floor. Riauka added 15 points while Conrad Krutwig grabbed 10 rebounds.

Dwight Sistrunk tallied 19 points to lead the Cardinals while Devonte Bell and John Taylor added 14 and 13 points, respectively. Dillon Deck had the game's lone double-double, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds along with 11 points. The loss knocks Jewell into third place in the West Division, 1/2-game behind Maryville University and Drury University.

The Rangers return to the hardwood on Thursday, heading down to Louisville, Ky. to face fourth-ranked Bellarmine University at 7:30 p.m.