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

Box Score

SOMERS, Wis. (Jan. 10, 2015)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside men's basketball team extended its win streak to eight on Saturday afternoon, sending the University of Missouri-Saint Louis its first setback of Great Lakes Valley Conference play as the Rangers pulled away in the second half for a 76-61 victory inside DeSimone Gymnasium.

The Tritons (11-3, 3-1 GLVC) seized an early lead with a layup from Aareon Smith giving the visitors a 10-5 lead just five minutes into the game. A three-pointer and layup on back-to-back possessions from Zygimantas Riauka tied the game as the two teams traded leads for the next six minutes. UMSL led 20-17 with 8:45 left in the opening stanza before the Rangers (12-1, 4-0 GLVC) tallied the next nine points, owning a six-point buffer with 4:52 left. The Parkside advantage swelled to double digits with just under two minutes remaining before taking a 36-30 lead into the halftime break.

An Andy Mazurczak three with 16:08 left gave the Green and White a 13-point cushion but the Tritons accumulated 12 of the next 14 points to pull within three with 11:39 left. Mohamed Mohamed banged home a three to bust the Rangers out of the funk before buckets from Jimmy Gavin and Mazurczak reestablished a double-digit lead. UW-Parkside led by at least eight points the rest of the way, posting its eighth consecutive win.

Mazurczak led all scorers with a season-high 22 points while distributing five assists while Gavin tallied 18 points. Riauka had 14 points and six boards while Mohamed came off the bench and added 12 points. Jalen Currie led the Rangers on the glass, securing seven rebounds including three on the offensive end.

UW-Parkside committed few mistakes on the afternoon, turning the ball over a season-low four times while sinking 19 of its 21 attempts (90.5 percent) from the free throw line. UW-Parkside finished the contest shooting 41.3 percent (26-for-63) from the field while owning a 40-32 rebounding advantage.

The Rangers return to action on Thursday, resuming their homestand with a 7 p.m. showdown against GLVC East Division rival University of Illinois Springfield.