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

SOMERS, Wis. (Feb. 26, 2014)-- A Division Title hangs in the balance as the 24th-ranked University of Wisconsin-Parkside men's basketball team looks to secure its second consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division crown on Thursday night against longtime rival Lewis University.

A win guarantees the Rangers at least a share of the 2014 GLVC East Division crown while a loss makes UW-Parkside hope for a Saint Joseph's College victory over the University of Indianapolis to force a three-way tie atop the division with UW-Parkside, UIndy, and Lewis.

The 24th-ranked Rangers and 18th-ranked Flyers will tip off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday inside Neil Carey Arena in Romeoville ,Ill. Live stats, video and audio will be provided with Jim Kramer and Mark Albanese on the audio feed available online and on local airwaves on WRJN 1400 AM in southeast Wisconsin.

About the Rangers: 24th-ranked UW-Parkside (21-5, 14-3 GLVC) heads into the regular season finale in control of its own destiny with a win clinching the program's second straight Divisional title.

UW-Parkside snapped its two-game skid on Feb. 20, slipping past McKendree University 84-80. The Rangers continued to roll, earning an 83-74 senior day win on Saturday against the University of Illinois Springfield.

Against the Bearcats, the Rangers trailed by as many as eight points before pulling away late in the contest. Parkside trailed 38-32 before opening the second stanza on a 14-2 run to grab the lead. Zygimantas Riauka paced the home side with 24 points and seven rebounds while Andy Mazurczak chipped in 18 points.

Two days later, the Rangers closed out their home slate by defeating Illinois Springfield for the program's 12th consecutive win inside DeSimone Gymnasium. Jimmy Gavin led the way off the bench with 21 points while Jordan Mach was dialed in from distance, draining five threes and scoring 19 points.

Riauka paces the Rangers in several statistical categories including points per game (16.4), rebounds per game (9.3) and blocks (51). Jimmy Gavin comes off the bench and chips in 16.0 ppg along with 3.9 assists per game while Colt Grandstaff claims 13.1 ppg while hitting 51 threes on the year. Mazurczak averages 13.0 ppg along with 5.3 assists per game while Mach leads the team beyond the arc, hitting 68 treys on the season and shooting 38.6 percent from beyond the arc. Mach averages 12.3 ppg while Mohamed Mohamed contributes 6.8 ppg.

As a team, UW-Parkside ranks in the Top 30 nationally in five statistical categories. The Rangers rank second nationally and in the GLVC in field goal percentage, hitting 52.9 percent from the floor while ranking seventh in both assist to turnover ratio (1.61) and total assists (476). UW-Parkside is eighth in assists per game (18.3) while sitting 30th in scoring margin (+10.6).

Series History: UW-Parkside and Lewis have met 61 times with the Flyers owning a 36-25 advantage in the all-time series. Behind a career-high 32 points from Colt Grandstaff the Rangers sprinted past then 23rd-ranked Lewis 94-88 on Jan. 20 inside DeSimone Gymnasium. The win kicked off a memorable week for UW-Parkside, winning three home games against Top 25 foes, including two victories at the expense of Top 10 squads.

About the Flyers: 18th-ranked Lewis (21-4, 13-4 GLVC) heads into Thursday's showdown with the most to gain and the most to lose. A Flyer win coupled with a UIndy loss would give the Flyers a share of the league crown and a first round bye in the GLVC Tournament while a Lewis loss likely forces them to play in the opening round of the tournament on Sunday, March 2.

The Flyers are riding a two-game win streak and have won five of their last six games. The lone blemish during that stretch was a 56-53 road defeat against then second-ranked Drury University on Feb. 15. Lewis rebounded with a 74-66 win over UIS on Feb. 20 before taking down McKendree 84-73 on Saturday.

Three Flyers average in double figures with Ryan Jackson leading the way. Jackson heads into Thursday averaging 18.1 points per game along with 4.9 rebounds per game. Julian Lewis adds 14.2 ppg and a team-best 8.4 rpg while Jeff Jarosz chips in 13.9 ppg.

Lewis has won 16 straight home games inside Neil Carey Arena with the last setback coming on Feb. 14, 2013 against Bellarmine University.

The Flyers rank fourth nationally in fewest turnovers with 234 on the season and fifth in turnovers per game (9.4). Lewis sits 14th in assist to turnover ratio (1.51), 18th in field goal percentage (49.9 percent) and 25th in free throw percentage (75.8 percent).

East Division Scenarios: UW-Parkside clinches at least a share of the GLVC East Crown with a win on Thursday. A Parkside win and a University of Indianapolis loss gives the Rangers the undisputed crown while UW-Parkside and UIndy will be co-champions if they both win, with UW-Parkside owning the higher tournament seed based on having a better in-division record.

UW-Parkside can still clinch a share of the division crown with a loss but would need help with a Saint Joseph's College upset win over UIndy. In that scenario UIndy, UW-Parkside and Lewis would all tie for the divisional title.

10 in a Row: UW-Parkside's 10-0 mark in January sets a program record for consecutive GLVC wins and surpassing last season's nine-game win streak. The 2012-2013 Rangers rattled off nine in a row last season en route to an East Division title. Last year's run began on Jan. 24 and lasted until Feb. 23. That stretch, saw the Rangers knock off six ranked opponents, including then third-ranked Kentucky Wesleyan College.

Home Cooking: UW-Parkside has won 17 of its last 18 GLVC games inside DeSimone Gymnasium. That stretch includes seven wins over nationally-ranked opponents and four wins over Top 10 teams. The Rangers have additionally won their last 12 games at home.

20-Win Club: The Rangers eclipsed the 20-win barrier for the second consecutive season, marking the first time since 1987 that the program has notched back-to-back 20-win campaigns and the first time since joining NCAA Division II in 1995. UW-Parkside pieced together three in a row from 1984-85 to 1986-87 while the team was a member of the NAIA. The Rangers were 22-7 in 1984-85, 21-9 in 1985-86 and 22-8 in 1986-87.

GLVC in the Top 25: The GLVC continues to boast five teams in the NABC Top 25, including two squads among the Top 10. Drury University headlines the rankings at No. 5 while University of Indianapolis in ranked ninth. Lewis University is 18th, UW-Parkside is 24th and the University of Southern Indiana is 25th. Bellarmine University sits just outside the Top 25, appearing in the others receiving votes section.

80-Point Club: UW-Parkside heads into Thursday averaging 83.2 points per game and has scored at least 80 points in 17 of the 26 regular season games in 2013-2014. 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.

Pod-demonium: The GLVC has broken the two divisions into pods of four for the 2013-2014 season. Pod mates will play each other in a home and home series and play all other opponents once. UW-Parkside's pod includes University of Illinois Springfield, McKendree University and Lewis University.

GLVC Tournament: The top 12 teams qualify for the 2014 Deaconess GLVC Tournament with the top four squads all receiving first round byes. The first round will be conducted on Sunday, March 2, with the top-seeded teams not receiving byes hosting on-campus. The GLVC Quarterfinals and beyond begin on March 6 inside the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. To pre-order session passes, visiting the UW-Parkside athletic department office.

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 143 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.