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

SOMERS, Wis. (Jan. 31, 2013)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside women's basketball squad hopes to continue its momentum after winning a pair of big games at home last week. The Rangers open the this week on the road against Saint Joseph's College today before hosting No. 19 University of Indianapolis on Saturday for Alumni Day.

The Rangers tip off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday in Rensselaer, Ind. against Pumas while hitting the court at 1 p.m. on Saturday against the Greyhounds. Live stats and audio will be available for Thursday's game while live stats, video and audio will be available on Saturday. Eric Zizich will be on the call on Thursday while Steve Kratochvil will be providing play-by-play on Saturday with Jim Kramer providing color commentary on the audio feed available online and on WRJN 1400 AM in southeast Wisconsin.

About the Rangers: UW-Parkside (11-6, 5-4 GLVC) has won two straight and three of its last four since tinkering with the starting lineup before the McKendree University game on Jan. 19.

Tara Knapstein and Kiah Simon cracked the starting lineup that Saturday and haven't looked back, helping the squad on its recent run. The Rangers topped McK 62-54 before falling 63-58 to Lewis on Jan. 21. UW-Parkside rebounded with a huge 69-53 victory over then No. 23 University of Southern Indiana last Thursday before downing Kentucky Wesleyan College, 67-57, on Saturday, knocking the Panthers out of first place in the GLVC with Simon scoring a career-high 18 points.

Jenna Endisch is the lone Ranger averaging in doubles figures, posting 14.6 points per game. Gaby Bronson adds 9.6 ppg while Jaleesa Trussell and Sierra West both average 8.5 ppg. West additionally leads the team in assists, with 5.5 per game. Danielle Slivka leads the Rangers on the boards, averaging 6.7 rebounds per game while adding 7.6 ppg on the offensive end.

Jan. 31 vs. Saint Joseph's College at Richard Scharf Alumni Fieldhouse (Live Stats)(Audio)

Series History: The Rangers and Pumas have met on 43 occasions with UW-Parkside holding a slim 23-20 edge in the all-time series. UWP has dominated the series under head coach Jenny Knight-Kenesie, owning a 19-1 edge, including a streak of 19 straight. The Rangers last defeat to SJC was on Jan. 11, 2003, falling 70-67 to the Pumas in Rensselaer.

Last Season: UW-Parkside swept the series in 2011-2012, edging the Pumas 75-71 on Jan. 26 inside DeSimone Gymnasium before overpowering St. Joseph's 70-59 on Feb. 16 in Rensselaer.

About the Pumas: St. Joseph's (1-6, 0-9 GLVC) heads into Thursday still searching for its first conference win, having suffered nine straight losses. The Pumas lone victory was their last non-conference game, downing host Oakland City University 59-57 on Dec. 28 in Oakland City, Ind.

Thursday's showdown wraps up a four-game homestand for the Pumas. SJC began its home slate by falling 90-47 to nationally-ranked UIndy on Jan. 21 before suffering a 67-51 setback to Bellarmine University on Jan. 24 and a 84-66 defeat to seventh-place McKendree University on Saturday.

Kiki Wilson is SJC's leading scorer, averaging 14.8 ppg with 4.0 rpg while distributing 3.9 apg. Lexy Carson adds 12.7 ppg offensively while Zoe Weaver is the team's leading rebounder with 4.2 rpg.

SJC ranks 267th nationally (of 287 teams) in scoring margin (-15.9) while ranking 281st in field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot 44.5 percent from the floor.

Feb. 2 vs. University of Indianapolis at DeSimone Gymnasium (Live Stats)(Video)(Audio)

Series History: The Rangers and Greyhounds have met 35 times with UIndy holding a 20-15 edge in the all-time series.

Last Season: UW-Parkside won all three meetings in 2011-2012. The Rangers edged the host Greyhounds 73-70 on Jan. 28 before sweeping the regular season with a 72-65 victory on Feb. 18 inside DeSimone Gymnasium. The two squads met again in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with the Rangers emerging with a 73-66 win on March 9 in Ashland, Ohio.

About the Greyhounds: No. 19 UIndy (13-4, 6-3 GLVC) heads into Thursday's game against Lewis University in a three-way tie for second place in the GLVC East Division. Indianapolis opened the season by winning 11 of its first 12 games with the lone blemish coming against top-ranked Ashland University on Dec. 14. Since the 11-1 start, the Greyhounds have won just two of its last five. UIndy stumbled 75-72 at home to Bellarmine on Saturday after beginning the week by feasting on East Division bottom dwellers McKendree (W, 81-39) and Saint Joseph's (W, 90-47).

Katy McIntosh powers the Greyhound offense, averaging 17.0 ppg along with 5.4 rpg. Kristin Turner chips in 16.2 ppg while Kirsten Gliesmann leads the team in rebounding, grabbing 8.0 boards per game while adding 7.8 ppg on the offensive end. McIntosh is second in the GLVC in scoring while Turner is fourth in the league.

The Greyhounds rank third nationally in field goal defense, allowing the opposition to shoot just 31 percent while ranking fourth in the nation in blocks (6.3 per game). Indianapolis is 12th in field goal percentage (44.3 percent) and 25th in scoring margin (+13.4).

National Rankings: UW-Parkside ranks in the top 50 nationally in four statistical categories. The Rangers sit 11th nationally (out of 287 Division II teams) in field goal percentage, draining 44.5 percent of their chances while ranking 14th in free-throw percentage (75.8 percent). UWP stands 29th in three-point field goal percentage (35.2 percent) and 43rd in steals per contest (11.3).

Individually, Sierra West leads the GLVC and is ninth in the nation is assists per game, dishing out 5.5 per game while Jenna Endisch is ninth nationally and 1st in the conference in three-point field goals per game, draining 2.94 per night.

Home Cooking: The Rangers have been nearly unbeatable at home in recent years, winning 54 of their last 59 games inside DeSimone Gymnasium. UWP compiled a 14-1 home record in 2011-12, the only blemish a one-point 68-67 defeat to Kentucky Wesleyan on Dec. 1.

UWP is 6-3 at home in 2012-2013, marking the first time since the 2007-2008 season the Rangers have dropped more than two contests at home. UW-Parkside was 12-4 at home in 2007-08, 10-2 in 2008-09 while finishing 15-1 in 2009-10, 15-0 in 2010-11 and 14-1 in 2011-12.

Top 25 Poll: Indianapolis is the lone GLVC institution ranked in the top 25 of the WBCA Coaches' Poll but four more league members appear in the receiving votes section. UIndy dropped four spots to No. 19 this week while Lewis (36 points), UW-Parkside (12), Bellarmine (8) and Southern Indiana (4) are receiving votes.