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UW-Parkside Postseason Info Page

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NCAA Division II Tournament Bracket

SOMERS, Wis. (Mar. 15, 2013)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside women's basketball team is back in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament for the third consecutive season, set for a clash inside Ashland University's Kates Gymnasium against Wayne State University on Saturday in the round of 32.

Both the seventh-seeded Rangers (21-9) and the sixth-seeded Warriors (21-8) pulled off upsets over nationally-ranked squads on Friday to advance to the second round. Live stats and video for the 4 p.m. clash will be provided by the host institution Ashland University. (Live Stats)(Video)

About the Rangers: UW-Parkside heads into Saturday having won eight of its last 10 and 12 of its last 15. The Rangers got the monkey off their back on Friday afternoon, finally beating 20th-ranked Lewis University. UWP disposed the Flyers 59-49 in the fourth meeting between the two squads including the third clash in the last five games for the Rangers.

Kiah Simon paced the Rangers against Lewis, pouring on a team-high 15 points while Jenna Endisch and Tara Knapstein added 13 and 12, respectively. UWP utilized a 12-2 run to end the first half to seize the lead after a volatile opening 15 minutes. The Rangers led by as many as 17 points in the second half and held an eight-point cushion the entire second half, limiting the Flyers to shooting just 27 percent from the floor.

The Rangers have been spreading the wealth offensively, with six different players stepping up as the leading scorer over the past six games. Jenna Endisch, Danielle Slivka, Sierra West, Gaby Bronson, Tara Knapstein and Kiah Simon have alternated as the Rangers' top pointer getter during the stretch, with the squad posting a 4-2 mark during the run.

Jenna Endisch powers the Ranger offense, averaging 14.0 points per game. The sharpshooter has drained a school single season record 88 three-pointers and shots 35.6 percent from beyond the arc. Sierra West chips in 9.0 ppg while dishing out a team-best 5.7 assists per game. Danielle Slivka leads the squad on the glass, averaging 7.4 rebounds per game while adding 8.6 ppg. Gaby Bronson collects 8.5 ppg while Jaleesa Trussell averages 8.2 ppg with 1.8 steals per game.

Series History: The Rangers and Warriors have met four times since the series began in 1983 with the series deadlocked at two wins apiece. Wayne State, then known as the Tartars, claimed the opening two games of the series in 1983 and 1992 while the Rangers claimed wins in 1993 and the last meeting on Nov. 21, 2010, downing the Warriors 77-60 inside DeSimone Gymnasium.

About the Warriors: Wayne State won three of the last four, derailing the University of Findlay 63-58 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. The game was a rematch from the week before when the Warriors stumbled 67-60 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals.

The Warriors won nine in a row from Jan. 19 through Feb. 21 before dropping back-to-back road contests against Grand Valley State University and Walsh University. Wayne State closed the regular season with an 80-66 win over Lake Superior State University before downing Ferris State University, 68-59, in the GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinals.

Four Warriors average in double figures, with Talisha Bridges clocking a team-best 15.4 ppg along with 7.0 rpg. Paige Sickmiller contributes 13.8 ppg and 4.1 rpg in only nine games of action while Juanita Cochran adds 11.0 ppg and a team-high 9.0 rpg. Phaebre Colbert adds 10.1 ppg along with 7.0 rpg.

Wayne State is one of the nation's top rebounding teams, ranking third in the nation (out of 287 teams) in rebounding margin at +12.3. The Warriors register 50th nationally in scoring offense (69.8 ppg) while clock in at 52nd nationally in blocks per game (4.0).

National Rankings: UW-Parkside ranks in the top 35 nationally (out of 287 teams) in three statistical categories and sits in the top 50 in six categories. The Rangers are 10th in the nation in field goal percentage (44.2 percent) while sitting 22nd in both scoring defense (55.5 ppg) and three-point field goal percentage (35.3 percent). The Rangers register 31st nationally in scoring margin (+10.8) while sitting 40th in free throw percentage (73.8 percent) and 45th in rebounding margin (+4.8).

Individually, Sierra West is fifth in the nation in assists per game, registering 5.8 per game while Jenna Endisch sits sixth in three-point field goals per game, draining 3.14 per contest. Gaby Bronson ranks 33rd in free throw percentage, hitting 84.4 percent from the charity stripe.

March Madness: UW-Parkside owns a 5-4 record in the NCAA Division II National Tournament, having made five appearances in the big dance. The Rangers advanced to the Sweet 16 the last two seasons while recording first round exits in both 2005 and 2010. Last season's run began with a 73-66 win over the University of Indianapolis before downing Ferris State University 71-57. The Rangers bowed out in the regional final, succumbing 78-65 to eventual national runner-up and host Ashland.

Wayne State owns a 1-1 mark in the NCAA Tournament, making its second appearance in 2013. The Warriors fell 91-83 to the University of Indianapolis in the opening round of the 2003 tournament in Wayne State's only other trip to the big dance.

Rest of the Regional: Host Ashland opened with a 70-56 win over eight-seed University of Indianapolis and will face fourth-seed Michigan Tech University after the Huskies disposed fifth-seeded Kentucky Wesleyan College, 79-67.

Top 25: Three of the eight participating institutions in the Midwest Regional appear in the most recent WBCA Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Ashland leads the way at No. 2 while Findlay is No. 18 and Lewis is No. 20.

Postseason Awards: Danielle Slivka was named Second Team All-GLVC on Tuesday while joining Jaleesa Trussell and Sierra West on the GLVC All-Defensive Team. It was Slivka's first All-GLVC honor while Trussell earns a spot on the All-Defensive squad for the second consecutive year.

Home Sweet Home: The Rangers have been nearly unbeatable at home in recent years, winning 59 of their last 64 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 11-3 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.