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

Box Score

SOMERS, Wis. (Dec. 1, 2013)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside women's basketball team suffered a rare home setback on Sunday afternoon, stumbling 70-60 to Cardinal Stritch University in a non-conference clash inside DeSimone Gymnasium.

The homestanding Rangers (3-3) seized the lead shortly after the opening tip with Maddie Johnston draining a three 34 seconds into the contest. Stritch, ranked 15th in the most recent NAIA Division II poll, tied the game at 4-4 and again at 7-7 before getting a layup from Emily Neitzel and a Julie Raeder three with 15:08 left, securing a 12-7 advantage. The Wolves (6-1) never trailed the rest of the way, building a 14-point advantage with 2:13 left and taking a 36-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Gaby Bronson hit a trey to open the second half, reducing the Stritch lead to just five points but the visitors hit back-to-back threes to extend the buffer to 11 points. The Wolves' advantage ballooned to 14 points with 15:02 left before the Rangers crawled back into the game as Tara Knapstein capped off an 11-2 run with a three-pointer with just under eight minutes to go, pulling UW-Parkside within a possession, trailing 53-50.

The Rangers stayed within striking distance and trailed 58-55 with 3:17 left before the Wolves scored seven straight to secure a 65-55 lead with 56 seconds remaining. Stritch hit five of its six free throws in the final 56 seconds to hold on for the 10-point victory.

Tara Knapstein finished one point shy of a season-high, draining four three-pointers and pacing the Rangers with 16 points. Johnston was four-for-six from beyond the arc, ending the day with 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds while Bronson chipped in 13 points and four assists.

Julie Raeder led the nationally-ranked Wolves, pouring on 21 points while Michelle Piepenburg secured a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing a game-high 11 boards. Emily Neitzel was the third Stritch player in double figures, collecting 18 points.

The defeat was the first home loss of the season and just the sixth home setback for UW-Parkside in its last 68 games inside DeSimone Gymnasium.

The Rangers close out their homestand on Saturday, hosting Indiana University-Northwest at 1 p.m.