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

SOMERS, Wis. (Dec. 18, 2013)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside men's basketball squad closes out its non-conference slate this week, hosting Indiana Dabney University on Thursday before trekking north to the Upper Peninsula to face Michigan Tech University on Saturday.

The Rangers and Lions tangle at 7 p.m. on Thursday inside DeSimone Gymnasium while UW-Parkside and Michigan Tech square off at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday inside SDC Gym in Houghton, Mich. Live stats, video and audio will be available for both games and will additionally be carried over the airwaves throughout southeastern Wisconsin on WRJN 1400 AM. Steve Kratochvil will provide the play-by-play on Thursday night with Jim Kramer providing color commentary while Mark Albanese will handle the broadcast on Saturday.

About the Rangers: UW-Parkside (6-1) returns to the court after a 12-day layoff on Thursday, last taking the court in an exhibition against Division I Chicago State University on Dec. 7. The Rangers led the Cougars early as the lead exchanged hands four times before the hosts mounted a 20-3 run to seize the lead for good, going on to down UW-P 90-81.

Andy Mazurczak paced UW-Parkside with 22 points while Colt Grandstaff chipped in 21.

The Rangers last regular season game was on Nov. 30, knocking off defending NAIA Division II Champion Cardinal Stritch University 77-64. UW-Parkside utilized an 18-0 run midway through the first half to secure a commanding lead and led the rest of the day to notch the win over the in-state nemesis.

Grandstaff led the way with 16 points while Jimmy Gavin came off the bench and chipped in 15 points.

Five Rangers average in double figures with Zygimantas Riauka leading the way. The junior forward averages 15.7 points per game while grabbing a team-best 7.4 rebounds per game. Jordan Mach adds 15.1 ppg and 3.9 rpg while Jimmy Gavin and Colt Grandstaff contribute 14.4 ppg and 14.1 ppg, respectively. Andy Mazurczak rounds out the double digit producers, registering 11.9 ppg while dishing out a team-high 4.6 assists per game.

Dec. 19 vs. Indiana Dabney University at DeSimone Gymnasium (Live Stats)(Video)(Audio)

Series History: The Rangers and Lions have met just once, with host UW-Parkside crushing Dabney 122-60 on Nov. 13, 2012. In that game, UW-P shot 65.9 percent from the floor in the opening half, owning a 71-25 edge at the halftime intermission.

About the Lions: Indiana Dabney (0-12), provisional members of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), head to Wisconsin still searching for its first victory of the season.

The Lions suffered a 94-87 setback in their last outing on Dec. 12 against host Oakland City University. IDU owned a four-point lead early in the game before allowing the host Mighty Oaks to grab a 19-point lead. The Lions whittled the gap to just four points with 9:49 left but was unable to come any closer.

Four Dabney players registered in double figures with two players posting double-doubles. Anthony Harris led the squad with 22 points and 12 boards while William Holloway added 19 points and a team-high 14 boards. Kyle Holmes tallied 21 points while Leanard Brinson chipped in 13 points.

Dec. 21 vs. Michigan Tech University at SDC Gym (Live Stats)(Video)(Audio)

Series History: The Rangers and Huskies have met 12 times with Tech owning a 9-3 edge in the all-time series. The two squads met twice last season with Michigan Tech prevailing on both occasions. Host UW-Parkside fell 69-51 to Michigan Tech on Dec. 29, 2012 while the Huskies stormed past UW-P 86-75 on Mar. 16 in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Tournament in Springfield, Mo.

About the Huskies: Michigan Tech (5-2), the defending Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions, enters the weekend having lost two of its last three games.

The Huskies rolled a trio of Minnesota schools to begin the season before opening GLIAC play with an 81-55 whitewash of Malone University on Dec. 5. Walsh University handed Tech its first defeat of the season on Dec. 7, outlasting the hosts 93-83 before the Huskies fell 86-73 to University of Findlay on Dec. 12.

Michigan Tech returned to the win column on Dec. 14, edging Hillsdale College 84-81. Ben Stelzer shattered a school record with 10 three-pointers, helping the Huskies erase an early 18-3 deficit.

Over 60% of the Huskies scoring output comes from Austin Armga and Ben Stelzer. Armga leads the Huskies in scoring and ranks second in the nation, averaging 28.0 points per game while Stelzer adds 21.7 ppg. Armga is shooting 61.3 percent from the floor while Stelzer is a threat from the perimeter, shooting 50 percent from three-point land and averaging 5.1 three-pointers made a game.

Armga leads Tech on the glass, securing 4.7 rebounds per game while dishing out a team-high 3.4 assists per game.

80-Point Club: UW-Parkside heads into Thursday averaging 85.7 points per game and has scored at least 80 points in six of the seven regular season games this season. Despite posting a 20-9 record and winning the GLVC East Division, the Rangers scored more than 80 points on just seven occasions all last season.

Preseason Picks: The Rangers have been picked to finish fifth in the GLVC East, according to the league's 16 head coaches. Bellarmine University has been picked to win the division followed by the University of Southern Indiana, University of Indianapolis and Lewis University. In the West Division, defending NCAA Division II National Champion Drury University has been selected to repeat as champs.

GLVC Shuffle: This offseason the 16-member GLVC saw a few tweaks to its membership. Charter member Kentucky Wesleyan College exited the league to join the nascent Great Midwest Athletic Conference with Truman State University from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association filling the void. The addition of Truman moved the University of Illinois Springfield from the West Division to the East Division.

Reigel's Rangers: Head Coach Luke Reigel begins his 11th season as head coach and his 14th season overall at UW-Parkside in 2013-2014. Reigel was named the 2013 Jack Bennett Man of the Year while also earning Midwest Region and GLVC Coach of the Year honors. The Wisconsin native sits second on the all-time wins list with 127 wins and has guided the Rangers to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths.

Returning to the sidelines will be assistants Tom Reigel and Andy Atkins while Keven Bradley joins the staff as the program's top assistant. Bradley joined the program over the summer after serving in a similar capacity at Upper Iowa University where he helped the Peacocks qualify for the NCAA Division II Tournament last season.