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

Box Score

SEATTLE, Wash. (Dec. 19, 2015)-- Another stingy defensive effort carried the University of Wisconsin-Parkside women's basketball team on Saturday night, defeating host Seattle Pacific University 60-53 inside Brougham Pavilion to close out the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic. Jessica Prince led the way with her first double-double of the season, securing tournament Most Valuable Player honors as the Rangers finished their trip to the Evergreen State undefeated.

The Rangers (7-3) dominated the opening half and opened up a 14-point lead in the third period before the host Falcons (5-4) battled back, scoring 12 straight and 19 of the next 24 points to tie the score. Seattle Pacific's 12-0 run sliced the gap to just two with 5:13 left before tying the score at 40 with 16 seconds left in the period. UW-Parkside quickly answered with Tara Knapstein hitting a jumper and a free throw as time expired as the Rangers' headed to the final period with a 43-40 lead.

SPU tallied the opening bucket of the fourth to pull within a single point but Parkside responded with the next seven, seizing a 50-42 lead off a Kristin Conniff jumper with 6:48 left. The Falcons responded with a 7-0 spurt of their own, closing the gap to 50-49 with 4:40 remaining. A jumper and a free throw from Prince extended the lead to four while Brittney Fair preserved the game with four consecutive free throws in the final seconds to preserve the seven-point win.

The Falcons scored the game's opening bucket but the Rangers rattled off the next nine points, staking a 9-2 edge with 6:27 left in the first period. Prince started the run by sinking a pair of free throws before Conniff connected on a three. Conniff hit a jumper before Stephanie Furr finished off the spurt with a layup. Seattle Pacific closed the gap to just three with 1:57 left in the first quarter before threes from Furr and Knapstein gave UW-Parkside the 17-8 edge after 10 minutes of action.

Both teams struggled to score points in the second period with the stout Ranger defense keeping the Falcons off the scoreboard for the first five minutes of the quarter. UW-Parkside scored the final five points of the half, enjoying a 29-17 lead at the intermission.

Prince fueled the Rangers on Saturday evening, earning her first double-double of the year with a season-high 16 points and 12 boards in just 22 minutes of action. Furr added 13 points and nine rebounds while Fair added 11 points off the bench in just her second game of the year. Knapstein was the fourth Ranger in double figures, chipping in 10 points along with three steals and joining Prince on the five student-athlete All-Tournament team.

Hannah Rodrigues led Seattle Pacific with 16 points while Jordan McPhee added 11.

UW-Parkside controlled the glass, owning a 43-30 rebounding edge, including an 18-6 edge in offensive boards while holding a 19-8 advantage in second chance points.

Saturday's clash was the Rangers' final non-conference game of the season. UW-Parkside will resume Great Lakes Valley Conference play on Jan. 2, hosting Lewis University at 1 p.m. inside DeSimone Gymnasium.