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

Box Score

SOMERS, Wis. (Feb. 20, 2014)-- A lethargic start was not enough to derail the 25th-ranked University of Wisconsin-Parkside men's basketball team on Thursday night inside DeSimone Gymnasium as the host Rangers rallied to an 84-80 victory over Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division foe McKendree University.

The Rangers (20-5, 13-3 GLVC) trailed by as many as eight points in the opening half and struggled to get some distance from the pesky Bearcats (9-15, 3-13 GLVC) before finally pulling away in the final minutes.

McKendree raced out to a 12-4 lead just 15:58 into the ballgame. UW-Parkside regrouped with seven of the next nine to pull within a possession but a quick spurt by the Bearcats quickly pushed the deficit back up to eight points with just over 11 minutes left in the first half. A Zygimantas Riauka layup with 6:47 left closed the gap to just one point but the visitors continued to stay ahead, enjoying a 38-32 lead at intermission.

McKendree tallied the opening bucket of the second stanza but the Rangers poured on the next 14 points, securing a 46-40 lead with 16:10 remaining. McKendree answered with a 15-4 run, reclaiming the lead and owning a 55-50 advantage with 12:25 left. The Bearcats owned a four-point buffer before a 9-0 run swung the lead back to UW-Parkside with 7:27 left. A Riauka flush sparked the run with the junior forward netting the first seven points of the spurt. Jimmy Gavin capped the run with a basket, giving Parkside the 63-58 advantage.

The Bearcats clawed back, tying the game on two occasions before taking a 74-72 lead off a Mike Springs three with 2:44 left. Jordan Mach answered with a trey of his own and UW-Parkside led the rest of the way, building the buffer to as many as seven points en route to the four-point divisional win.

Riauka sank 10 of his 15 shots on the night, collecting a game-high 24 points while grabbing seven boards. Andy Mazurczak added 18 points, five assists and three steals while Mohamed Mohamed and Gavin each added 13 points.

Arthur Williams came off the bench and led McKendree, scoring 16 points and securing 10 boards. Mike DiGregorio added 14 while Clinton Happe chipped in 12.

UW-Parkside, one of the nation's top shooting squads, hit 62.5 percent (20-for-32) of its shots in the second half, ending the night shooting 59.3 percent (35-for-59). McKendree shot 55.3 percent (32-for-58) from the field, including 64.3 percent (nine-for-14) from beyond the arc. UW-Parkside enjoyed a 14-4 edge in points off turnovers and held a 10-2 edge in fast break points.

With the win, UW-Parkside eclipses the 20-win plateau for the second straight season. The Rangers haven't enjoyed back-to-back 20 win campaigns since the program rattled off three straight from 1984-85 to 1986-87 while the team was a member of the NAIA.

Parkside closes out its home schedule on Saturday, welcoming the University of Illinois Springfield to DeSimone Gymnasium for Senior Day.