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

SOMERS, Wis. (Feb. 18, 2015)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside women's basketball squad embarks on its final road trip of the regular season this week, traveling to southern Illinois to face a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division rivals. The Rangers take on McKendree University on Thursday and close the trip on Saturday against the University of Illinois Springfield.
 
The Rangers and Bearcats square off at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday in Lebanon, Illinois while Parkside and UIS hit the court at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Live stats, video, and audio will be provided for both 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 (19-5, 12-3 GLVC) had its program-record 12 game win streak snapped last week, falling 69-67 to 17th-ranked Drury University on Saturday for the squad's first home loss of the season.
 
UW-Parkside trailed by six at the half against Drury before staring at a 19-point deficit with 14:16 remaining in the game. The Rangers continued to eat away at the Panther advantage, trailing by 15 with 5:54 remaining before utilizing a 15-0 surge to tie the game at 67 with 17 seconds left. Brittney Fair hit a three to instigate the run while Tara Knapstein tallied eight of the 15 points during the scoring binge.
 
GLVC West Division Champion Drury countered in the waning moments of the game, with Sanayika Shields hitting a jumper with less than two seconds left to lift the Panthers to the win.
 
Prior to Saturday, the Rangers rattled off 12 in a row, including a 73-53 whitewash of Missouri University S&T on Feb. 12. The game was hotly contested in the opening eight minutes before Parkside started to pull away, ending the half on a 30-10 run to stake a 19-point lead at the halftime break.
 
Gaby Bronson leads the Rangers in scoring (12.8 points per game), rebounding (5.3 per game) and assists (4.8) while Kristin Conniff adds 9.8 ppg and a team-best 33 three-pointers on the season. Knapstein has come off the bench and scored in double figures in each of the last four games, averaging 9.7 ppg and 3.8 rpg on the season along with 3 team-leading 15 blocks. Stephanie Furr contributes 7.3 ppg while Fair adds 6.0 ppg.
 
Defense continues to pave the way for the Rangers, leading the GLVC in scoring defense and ranking sixth nationally (out of 289), yielding just 57.6 points per game. UW-Parkside additionally ranks No. 1 in the GLVC in three-point field goal defense (28.1 percent) while checking in at No. 3 in the conference in field goal defense (37.4 percent) and rebounding margin (+7.0) and fourth in scoring margin (+10.5).
 
Feb. 19 vs. McKendree University at Statham Center (Live Stats)(Video)(Audio)
 
Series History: UW-Parkside and McKendree have met six times on the hardwood since the series began in 1992-1993 with UW-Parkside owning a slim 4-2 edge in the all-time series, including four of the five games played as GLVC members. The Rangers steamrolled the Bearcats 77-56 on Jan. 17 inside DeSimone Gymnasium, leading wire-to-wire as Gaby Bronson, Maddie Johnston and Tara Knapstein all ended the afternoon in double figures.
 
About the Bearcats: McKendree (2-21, 1-14 GLVC) looks to snap an eight game skid having last tasted victory on Jan. 19 with a 70-61 win over travel partner Illinois Springfield. The Bearcats trailed by as many as 10-point in the first half but closed the opening stanza on a 19-4 run to close within two points. McKendree scored the opening five points of the second half to seize the lead and grabbed the lead for good with 11:15 left in the ballgame. Four Bearcats finished in double figures, including Danielle Amann-Stewart who tallied 20 points.
 
Since then it's been tough sledding for the Bearcats, dropping eight straight including a pair of close encounters last week against Rockhurst University and William Jewell College. McKendree led Rockhurst at the half on Feb. 12 but the visitors stormed back, emerging with the 71-67 win while William Jewell followed a similar script, trailing at the halftime intermission before escaping with the 72-69 win.  
 
Caty Ponce leads the Bearcats scoring efforts, averaging 12.0 points per game while collecting 3.2 assists per game. Gabrielle Williams nets 10.4 ppg and a team-best 6.0 rebounds per game while Jameeka Bouie adds 10.2 ppg and 4.7 rpg.
 
McKendree ranks at the bottom of the GLVC (16th) in scoring defense (71.7 points per game), scoring margin (-10.1), field goal defense (43.7 percent), and three-point field goal defense (39.9 percent).
 
Feb. 21 vs. University of Illinois Springfield at TRAC (Live Stats)(Video)(Audio)
 
Series History: UW-Parkside has dominated the all-time series, winning nine of the 10 encounters on the hardwood. The Rangers lone setback came last season on Jan. 16 in Springfield with the host Prairie Stars netting the 60-56 win. UW-Parkside had little trouble with UIS earlier this season, destroying the Prairie Stars 71-48 on Jan. 15 inside DeSimone Gymnasium. The Rangers utilized a 19-0 run in the first half and held UIS to just 16 points after 20 minutes of play.
 
About the Prairie Stars: Illinois Springfield (5-18, 1-14 GLVC) heads into Thursday's clash with Lewis University looking to snap a similar slump, having dropped 11 straight conference games.
 
The Prairie Stars lone GLVC win came at the expense of Truman State University on Jan. 10, vanquishing the Bulldogs 72-57 after closing the game on an 18-2 run. UIS fell 71-48 to the Rangers the next game and have been winless sense, suffering a pair of nailbiting losses last week. UIS stumbled 92-91 in double overtime against William Jewell on Feb. 12 before getting edged 53-50 by Rockhurst two days later.
 
Jameeshia Armstrong is the Prairie Stars leading offensive asset, contributing 9.4 points per game while Shelbi Patterson adds 9.2 ppg and a team-best 3.3 assists per game. Syerra Cunningham adds 8.6 ppg and a team-leading 8.5 rebounds per game while Caroline Kelty adds 7.3 ppg off the bench.
 
UIS sits fifth in the GLVC in rebounding margin (+4.8) but sits 15th in the conference in scoring offense (60.2 points per game) and last in the league in free throw percentage (66.1 percent) and turnover margin (-6.09).
 
Streaks: The Rangers 12 game win streak this season was the team's longest stretch of wins in program history, eclipsing a 10 game run during the 2008-2009 campaign from Dec. 4 through Jan. 10. UW-Parkside went 43 days between losses during the 12-game streak which began on Jan. 4 with a come-from-behind win over Quincy University.
 
Bench Buckets: UW-Parkside has generated points off the bench all season with the reserves outscoring the starters eight times this season. The Ranger reserves netted 39 of the team's 69 points on Nov. 20 in a 10-point win over Ohio Dominican University while the backups poured on 41 points in a 60-42 win over Tiffin University on Nov. 22. Parkside's bench collected 36 of the team's 61 points on Dec. 4 against Lewis University and 35 points in a 60-41 win over the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras on Dec. 16. Parkside's non-starters tallied 36 points in a 71-48 rout of the University of Illinois Springfield on Jan. 15 while pouring on 37 in a 70-52 drubbing of the University of Southern Indiana on Jan. 22.
 
The bench laid on 47 points in a 73-53 victory over Missouri University S&T on Feb. 12 before scoring 34 in a 69-67 setback to then No. 17 Drury University two days later.
 
GLVC Tournament: The Rangers have already clinched a first round bye in the 2014 GLVC Tournament and will open up the postseason on Friday, March 6 in the GLVC Quarterfinals at the Family Arena in Saint Charles, Missouri. The GLVC Semifinals will commence the following day on March 7 with the Championship Game slated for 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 8.
 
All-Tournament passes, which are good for all seven sessions, will be $38. A single-session ticket will be $18 for adults and seniors, and $11 for students with a valid ID. Children ages 6 and under are free.
 
20-Win Club: UW-Parkside sits one win shy of eclipsing the 20-win barrier for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The Rangers have six total 20 win seasons in program history with all of them coming since 2004 under the direction of former Head Coach Jenny Knight-Kenesie (2002-2013).
 
24-for-24: Gaby Bronson and Sarah Mlachnik are the only two Rangers to start every game this season. The duo additionally leads the team in minutes played with Bronson averaging 29.7 minutes per game while Mlachnik averages 26.7 minutes per game. A Total of six Rangers have appeared in every game this season, joining Bronson and Mlachnik on that list is Kristin Conniff, Tara Knapstein, Brittney Fair, and Jessica Prince.

GLVC Accolades: Gabby Bronson was named the GLVC Player of the Week on Nov. 17 for her performance at the Highway 76 Classic where the senior earned Co-MVP honors after notching a triple-double and averaging 19.5 points per game, 8.0 assists per game and 7.5 rebounds per game.
 
Bronson became the first Ranger to win the award since Jenna Endisch did so on Dec. 20, 2012.
 
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: UW-Parkside is picked to finish fifth in the GLVC East in 2014-2015 according to the league's 16 head coaches.
 
The Rangers accumulated 60 points and one first place nod to secure fifth. Lewis University collected 13 of the 16 first place votes, snagging the top spot in the East with 118 points. The University of Indianapolis and the University of Southern Indiana each grabbed a first place vote, placing second and third in the poll, respectively. Bellarmine University rounds out the upper half of the division, slotting fourth with 74 points. Saint Joseph's College was picked sixth (53 points) followed by the University of Illinois Springfield in seventh (38 points) and McKendree University in eighth (30 points).
 
In the West Division, Drury University scooped up 12 of the 16 first place endorsements, claiming the top spot with 115 points. Quincy University is second with 94 points and one first place vote followed by Maryville University with 93 points and one first place vote. Truman State University grabbed two first place votes and 89 points to secure fourth while the University of Missouri-Saint Louis is fifth with 64 points. William Jewell College is sixth (47 points) followed by Missouri University S&T in seventh (40 points) and Rockhurst University in eighth (26 points).
 
Home Sweet Home: The Rangers have been nearly unbeatable at home in recent years, winning 73 of their last 85 games inside DeSimone Gymnasium. UW-Parkside was 12-4 at home in 2007-08, 10-2 in 2008-09 while finishing 15-1 in 2009-10, 15-0 in 2010-11, 14-1 in 2011-12, 11-3 in 2012-13 and 7-7 last season.
 
Return to DeSimone: After going 320 days without a home game and opening the season with a 15-game, 7,261-mile road swing, the Rangers played four home contests in a 10-game span from Jan. 8 through Jan. 17. UW-Parkside made the most of those games, steamrolling all four opponents with an average margin of victory at +20.5.
 
This season's opening 15-game swing covered 7,261 miles and toured seven different states along with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The two-month long road odyssey saw the Rangers play games in Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois (again), Puerto Rico, Ohio (again) and Missouri.
 
Island Adventures: On top of playing three games in three days the UW-Parkside women's basketball squad was also able to soak in a few sights in Puerto Rico during their nearly week long stay from Dec. 15-21. The Rangers toured Castillo San Cristobal, the largest fortification built by the Spanish in the Americas while walking the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan. The team additionally traveled to rural Fajardo where they kayaked a lagoon featuring rare bioluminescent life forms and soaked in some sun on the beaches of San Juan.
 
The Yorg File: Head Coach Jacob Yorg became the program's sixth coach prior to the 2013-2014 season, replacing the program's winningest coach in Jenny Knight-Kenesie. Yorg is no stranger to the GLVC having served as the associate head coach at Maryville University from 2008-2013. Maryville posted a 76-64 record in that span, winning a GLVC Tournament Championship and a GLVC West Division crown. Yorg's two-year record at Parkside currently stands at 27-23.
 
Joining Yorg on the bench this season will be former Ranger student-athlete Danielle Slivka along with Oliver Wiseman and Dean Mlachnik.