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

SOMERS, Wis. (Feb. 5, 2014)-- The Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division leading University of Wisconsin-Parkside men's basketball squad returns home this week, hosting a pair of West Division rivals. The 20th-ranked Rangers open the homestand on Thursday against William Jewell College before facing Rockhurst University on Saturday for Alumni Day.

The Rangers and Cardinals tipoff at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday night inside DeSimone Gymnasium and face Rockhurst on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. for Alumni Day. Live stats, video and audio will be provided for both games. Steve Kratochvil will be providing the play-by-play while Jim Kramer will be adding color commentary on the audio feed available online and on local airwaves on WRJN 1400 AM in southeast Wisconsin.

About the Rangers: UW-Parkside (17-3, 10- GLVC) saw its 10-game win streak come to a halt on Saturday, falling 82-60 to 10th-ranked University of Indianapolis inside Nicoson Hall. The rare loss was the first for the Green and White in 41 days, having last tasted defeat on Dec. 21 against Michigan Tech University.

Before UIndy, the Rangers began the week with a 99-71 whitewash of host Saint Joseph's College on Jan. 30. UW-Parkside was nearly unstoppable against the Pumas, draining 61.2 percent (41-for-67) of its shots while hitting 57.1 percent (12-for-21) from three-point range. Colt Grandstaff poured on 22 points, hitting six three-pointers, helping the Rangers tally their largest point total of the year.

On Saturday at Indianapolis, the host Greyhounds utilized a 9-0 run early in the first half to seize the lead and never looked back. The Hounds advantage ballooned to as many as 20 points in the second half before the Rangers mounted a late charge, knifing the deficit to just eight points with 7:21 left. The Greyhounds responded and pulled away in the final seven minutes of action, eventually securing the 22-point win and sending UW-Parkside its first loss in league play.

Leading the Rangers in scoring (16.3 points per game), rebounding (9.2 per game), field goal percentage (64.2 percent) and blocks (43) is junior forward Zygimantas Riauka. Jimmy Gavin is second on the team in scoring, adding 15.3 ppg off the bench while Colt Grandstaff and Jordan Mach add 13.8 and 13.1 ppg, respectively. Andy Mazurczak is the fifth Ranger averaging in double figures, contributing 12.5 ppg while leading the team in assists with 5.5 per game.

As a team, UW-Parkside ranks third nationally and second in the GLVC in field goal percentage, hitting 52.8 percent from the floor while ranking sixth in both assists per game (19.1) and assist to turnover ratio (1.65). The Rangers additionally rank 25th in Division II in scoring margin at +12.2.

Feb. 6 vs. William Jewell College at DeSimone Gymnasium (Live Stats)(Video)(Audio)

Series History: The Rangers and Cardinals met for the first time last season with host Parkside downing Jewell 77-69 on Jan. 12, a game that saw Colt Grandstaff score 20 points off the bench.

About the Cardinals: William Jewell (8-11, 4-7 GLVC) heads to Wisconsin having split its last four games. The Cardinals defeated Quincy University 82-75 on Jan. 23 before falling 67-52 to GLVC newcomer Truman State University on Jan. 25. Jewell stumbled 68-64 to host University of Missouri-Saint Louis last Thursday before slipping past Maryville University 76-70 on Saturday.

Jewell has five players averaging in double figures with Jordan Lewis leading the way with 12.7 points per game. D'Vante Mosby tallied 12.5 ppg and a team-high 8.2 rebounds per game while Dwight Sistrunk adds 11.9 ppg and 6.7 assists per game. Clint McCullough averages 11.8 ppg while Devonte Bell adds 11.7 ppg.

Feb. 8 vs. Rockhurst University at DeSimone Gymnasium (Live Stats)(Video)(Audio)

Series History: The Rangers and Hawks have battled seven times on the hardwood with UW-Parkside enjoying a 4-3 advantage in the series. Parkside led wire-to-wire in a 85-63 blowout victory last season on Jan. 10 inside DeSimone Gymnasium.

About the Hawks: Rockhurst (5-13, 1-10 GLVC) heads into Thursday's game against Lewis University looking to snap a six-game slide. The Hawks last win came at the expense of host Saint Joseph's on Jan. 11, downing the Pumas 95-84.

It's been tough sledding since for the Kansas City based squad, dropping games to Drury University (104-69) on Jan. 16, Missouri University S&T (83-74) on Jan. 18, Truman State (88-71) on Jan. 23 and Quincy (73-65) on Jan. 25.

Rockhurst had a chance for the win in the waning moments against Maryville last Thursday before ultimately suffering a 73-72 heartbreak before getting upended 74-56 by Missouri-St. Louis.

Brandon McCann powers the Hawk offense, averaging a team-best 17.3 points per game. Russell Burns is the squad's second leading scorer at 9.8 ppg while grabbing a team-best 5.4 rebounds per game.

Alumni Day at the Games: UW-Parkside alumni are encouraged to sign-up for the fourth-annual Alumni Day at the Games hosted by the Alumni Association. The event, which is free to alumni and their families, includes a complimentary tailgate lunch, refreshments, entertainment for children along with a chance to meet Chancellor Debbie Ford and basketball head coaches Luke Reigel and Jacob Yorg. Alumni and their families will additionally be given a complimentary promotional giveaway and free popcorn courtesy of Wheaton Franciscan- All Saints, the Rangers' official sports medicine provider. For more information or to register, please email university.relations@uwp.edu or call 262-595-2404.

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.

300: Saturday's game against Indianapolis was head coach Luke Reigel's 300th career game at the helm. The 2013 Jack Bennett Man of the Year Award recipient owns a 139-161 career mark at Parkside, making two trips to the NCAA Tournament.

Home Cooking: UW-Parkside has won 13 of its last 14 GLVC games inside DeSimone Gymnasium. That stretch includes seven wins over nationally-ranked opponents and four wins over Top 10 teams.

GLVC in the Top 25: The GLVC has five teams currently ranked in the NABC Division II Top 25 Poll, including UW-Parkside, who appears in the poll for the second straight week. Drury University leads the way at No. 4 followed by Indianapolis at No. 8, University of Southern Indiana at No. 15, UW-Parkside at No. 20 and Lewis University at No. 22. Bellarmine University continues to lurk just outside the Top 25, leading the pack among the others receiving votes.

80-Point Club: UW-Parkside heads into Thursday averaging 83.8 points per game and has scored at least 80 points in 11 of the 17 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.

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 139 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.