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

SOMERS, Wis. (Jan. 17, 2015)-- The 22nd-ranked University of Wisconsin-Parkside men's basketball squad hits the road this week, playing three games against Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division heavyweights in three different states over a six-day stretch.
 
The Rangers begin the road swing on Monday night, taking on travel-partner Lewis University at 7:30 p.m. in Romeoville, Illinois. UW-Parkside continues its East Division Tour on Thursday with a date against the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville at 7:30 p.m. before closing the trip on Saturday in Louisville, Kentucky with a 2 p.m. game against Bellarmine University. Live stats, video and audio will be provided for all three contests with Mark Albanese on the audio feed available online and on local airwaves on WRJN 1400 AM in southeast Wisconsin.
 
About the Rangers: UW-Parkside (14-1, 6-0 GLVC) extended its win streak to 10 games, closing a four-game homestand with a pair of blowout wins. The Rangers pacified the University of Illinois Springfield 69-47 on Jan. 15 before stomping McKendree University 90-63 on Saturday afternoon.
 
Against UIS, the Rangers led by just one point at the halftime break before opening the floodgates in the final 20 minutes of play and outscoring the Prairie Stars by a 40-19 margin in the second half. Jordan Mach eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau with a three in the second half, finishing with 14 points while Jimmy Gavin and Mohamed Mohamed finished with 15 and 13 points, respectively.
 
A similar storyline unfolded on Saturday against the Bearcats, as the Rangers overpowered the visitors in the second half, turning a six-point halftime advantage into a 27-point blowout victory.
 
Zygimantas Riauka and Gavin each dropped 18 points for the Green and White while Parkside finished the game shooting 61.4 percent (35-for-57) from the field and 50 percent (eight-for-16) from three-point range.
 
The Rangers have won by double digits in each of the last five games while winning by at least 10 in eight of the 10 games.
 
Riauka leads the Rangers in scoring (16.6 points per game), rebounds (8.9 per game), and blocks (31) while Gavin is second on the squad in scoring (16.5 ppg) and first in assists (3.4 per game). Andy Mazurczak adds 12.3 ppg and 2.9 apg while Jordan Mach chips in 8.8 ppg, draining a team-leading 36 threes on the year. Mohamed paces Parkside off the bench, averaging 7.5 ppg, shooting 48.7 percent from distance.
 
The Rangers have been stingy on defense all season, ranking second in the GLVC in scoring defense, allowing just 62.2 points per game and ranking third in scoring margin at +16.0.
 
Jan. 19 vs. Lewis University at Neil Carey Arena (Live Stats)(Video)(Audio)
 
Series History: The Rangers and Flyers have battled on the hardwood 62 times with Lewis commanding a 36-26 edge in the all-time series. UW-Parkside swept the series last season, downing Lewis 94-88 on Jan. 20 inside DeSimone Gymnasium before capping off the regular season with a 76-70 win over the Flyers on Feb. 27 to seize a share of the program's second straight GLVC East Division crown.
 
About the Flyers: Lewis (12-3, 4-2) snapped a two game skid last week, destroying divisional foes McKendree (97-70) and Illinois Springfield (81-54).
 
Against McKendree, Lewis shot 58.2 percent from the floor and netted a season-high 97 points, getting a season-high 24-point outing from Max Strus.
 
Against UIS, the Flyers utilized a 29-4 run to open the second half, turning a seven-point lead into a 32-point buffer.
 
The wins came after dropping consecutive contests inside Neil Carey Arena the week before. The Flyers fell 87-83 to the University of Missouri-Saint Louis on Jan. 8 while stumbling 73-62 to Maryville University two days later. The losses were the only home setbacks for Lewis this season, owning an 8-2 mark inside their own facility.
 
Ryan Jackson leads the Flyers in scoring (15.3 points per game) and assists (3.0 per game) while collecting 4.1 rebounds per game. Max Strus adds 12.7 ppg and 5.1 rpg while Jeff Jarosz averages 12.4 ppg and 2.9 apg. Julian Lewis paces the Flyers on the glass, securing 6.9 rpg.
 
Lewis sits fourth in the GLVC in scoring margin at +15.3 while sitting second in both rebounding margin (+8.8) and free throw percentage (76.0)
 
Jan. 22 vs. University of Southern Indiana at Physical Activities Center (Live Stats)(Video)(Audio)
 
Series History: UW-Parkside and Southern Indiana have met 37 times with the Screaming Eagles enjoying a 27-10 edge in the all-time series. The two squads met last season on Jan. 25 inside DeSimone Gymnasium with the host Rangers knocking off the then No. 9 Eagles 82-71. USI's Aaron Nelson led all scorers with 31 points with 22 of his points coming in the first half.
 
About the Screaming Eagles: Southern Indiana (11-3, 4-2 GLVC) heads into Monday's clash against Bellarmine looking to return to the win column after falling 84-67 to undefeated and third-ranked University of Indianapolis on Saturday. The loss came after dismantling Saint Joseph's College 78-66 on Thursday night in Rensselaer, Indiana.
 
The Eagles have been tough to beat at home, winning all eight games this season inside the Physical Activities Center while owning a 79-8 mark at home over the last six seasons.
 
Gavin Schumann averages 19.4 points per game to lead the Eagles while George Edwards adds 16.8 ppg and a team-high 8.6 rebounds per game. TeNale Roland is the third Eagle averages in double figures with 13.6 ppg, hitting a team-best 29 threes and collecting 23 steals.
 
Southern Indiana excels at the free throw line, leading the league by shooting 76.2 percent at the charity stripe.
 
Jan. 24 vs. Bellarmine University at Knights Hall (Live Stats)(Video)(Audio)
 
Series History: The Rangers and Knights have met on 34 occasions with Bellarmine owning a 26-8 lead in the all-time series. UW-Parkside won the regular season meeting 76-74 last season on Jan. 23 behind a 30-point performance from Jimmy Gavin but fell 90-78 to BU on Mar. 15 at in the semifinals of the GLVC Tournament in Evansville, Indiana.
 
About the Knights: Fourth-ranked Bellarmine (13-2, 5-1 GLVC) had its five game win streak snapped on Jan. 15, falling 66-62 on the road to #3 UIndy. The Knights responded two days later, crushing Saint Joseph's College 91-71.
 
The Indianapolis game featured 11 lead changes and three ties with neither team establishing a lead greater than seven points. Two days later, the Knights found themselves in a seven point hole after four minutes of play against host Saint Joseph's before scoring 31 of the next 40 points to establish a comfortable lead that would not be relinquished.
 
Five BU players enter the week averaging in double figures, led by Jake Thelen who averages 17.3 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game. Josh Derkson adds 12.2 ppg with Rusty Troutman scoring 11.2 ppg while grabbing 6.1 rebounds per game. Chris Whitehead averages 10.7 ppg along with a team-best 4.7 assists per game while Josh Sewell tallies 10.4 ppg as a reserve.
 
The Knights are 5-1 at home this season with the lone blemish coming in overtime against then No. 3 Florida Southern College on Dec. 13, stumbling 101-96 to the Moccasins.
 
Bellarmine leads the league in field goal percentage defense, forcing opponents to shooting just 38.3 percent from the floor.
 
NABC Poll: The National Association of Basketball Coaches released its seventh installment of the NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll on Jan. 13 with three GLVC squads appearing in the rankings. UW-Parkside moves into the poll for the first time this season, debuting at No. 22 while the University of Indianapolis and Bellarmine University climbed up two spots each to third and fourth, respectively.
 
This is the 16th week the Rangers have appeared in the NABC Top 25, with 13 of those occasions coming in the past three seasons. UW-Parkside highest ever ranking was 13th for two weeks during the 2012-2013 season.
 
GLVC Januarys: The Rangers opened conference play 4-0 for the third straight season and are 6-0 for the second time in three years. The Green and White rattled off 10 straight wins before suffering its first league setback in 2013-2014 while collecting four straight to open the 2012-2013 slate. The hot start in both seasons ended up paying dividends for UW-Parkside, later going on to hoist the GLVC East Division crown in both years.
 
December to Remember: The Rangers capped off the final month of 2014 with a perfect 4-0 record. UW-Parkside opened the month with a 91-79 win over in-state foe Cardinal Stritch University on Dec. 3 before blowing out Silver Lake College 89-51 the next day. The Rangers bested Upper Iowa University 83-67 on Dec. 16 and closed the month with a 69-62 win over Michigan Tech University on Dec. 20 in the final non-conference game of the season.
 
Hot Start: UW-Parkside is 14-1 for the first time in program history. The 2001-2002 squad under the direction of Jeff Rutter opened up the year with a 9-1 mark before falling to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Edgewood College in back-to-back games.
 
Non-Conference Mastery: The Rangers wrapped up its regular season non-league slate with an 8-1 mark, posting a winning mark outside of the GLVC for the fourth consecutive season. Parkside owned a 7-1 regular season non-conference record in 2013-2014 while posting a 5-3 mark in 2012-2013 and a 7-1 record in 2011-2012. Over the past four seasons the Green and White have a 27-6 record in regular season non-conference clashes.
 
Starting 15: Through 15 games the Rangers have utilized just one starting lineup, trotting out Zygimantas Riauka, Jimmy Gavin, Andy Mazurczak, Jordan Mach, and Jalen Currie every game this season.  
 
Record Book Watch: Seniors Jordan Mach and Zygimantas Riauka continue to climb up the charts in several career statistical categories. Mach has 222 three-pointers in his career and sits 21 shy from tying Andy Schmidtmann (1986-1990) for the top spot while Riauka is sixth on the all-time list in rebounds (666) and 13th all-time in scoring (1,291).
 
Pod-demonium: The GLVC continues its pod system for the 2014-2015, retaining the setup of two divisions with two pods of four. 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 Prognostications: Despite winning the GLVC East Division in each of the last two seasons, the Rangers were picked fourth in the annual GLVC Coaches' Poll.
 
UW-Parkside garnered 90 total points, including two first-place endorsements to secure fourth in the GLVC East. Bellarmine University is the division's favorite for the second straight season, amassing 102 points and six first place votes. Lewis University is slotted at No. 2 in the East with five first place votes and 96 points while East Co-Champion University of Indianapolis is third with 93 points and three first place nods.
 
Defending GLVC Tournament Champion University of Southern Indiana is fifth with 79 points followed by the University of Illinois Springfield in sixth (39 points), Saint Joseph's College in seventh (36 points) with McKendree University occupying the cellar with 33 points.
 
In the West Division, 2013 National Champion Drury University collected 120 points, securing 15 first place votes. University of Missouri-Saint Louis scooped up the lone remaining first place endorsement, securing 95 total points to claim the No. 2 spot. Quincy University with 79 points and Truman State University with 77 points round out the upper half of the West in third and fourth, respectively.
 
Maryville University occupies the fifth spot with 72 points followed by William Jewell College in sixth (53 points), Missouri University S&T in seventh (42 points) and Rockhurst University in eighth (30 points).
 
Home Cooking: UW-Parkside has won 21 of its last 23 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 20 of their last 21 games at home.

20-Win Club: The Rangers eclipsed the 20-win barrier for the second consecutive season in 2013-2014, 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.
 
Alumni Day: The UW-Parkside Alumni Association's annual Alumni Day at the Games will be held on Saturday, Jan. 31. Alumni, friends and family are invited to attend with giveaways and complimentary food for alumni throughout the day. The cost is $10 per alumni with guests attending free of charge. To register visit: https://donate.uwp.edu/alumniday or contact University Advancement at 262-595-2039.

Reigel's Rangers: Head Coach Luke Reigel begins his 12th season as head coach and his 15th season overall at UW-Parkside in 2014-2015.

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 159 wins and has guided the Rangers to three NCAA Tournament berths.

Returning to the sidelines will be associate coach Keven Bradley and assistant Tom Reigel while Andy Fitzgerald joins the staff as assistant from Edgewood College.