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

SOMERS, Wis. (Feb. 17, 2016)-- The 14th-ranked and Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division co-leading University of Wisconsin-Parkside men's basketball squad embarks on its final homestand of the regular season this week, welcoming East Division rivals Saint Joseph's College and the University of Indianapolis to DeSimone Gymnasium.

The Rangers and Pumas square off on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. with UW-Parkside and UIndy hitting the hardwood at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Live stats, video, and audio of both contests will be available on parksiderangers.com.

About the Rangers: UW-Parkside (20-3, 13-2 GLVC) extended its win streak to five games last week, earning a pair of come-from-behind overtime wins to finish off interdivisional play and remain tied atop the GLVC East with Bellarmine University. The Rangers erased a nine-point deficit in a 102-96 overtime triumph over GLVC West tri-leading Truman State University on Feb. 11 before negating a 14-point hole on Saturday in a 108-107 thriller over GLVC West co-leading Quincy University.

Against Truman State, Andy Mazurczak stole the show, pouring on 40 points, including a stretch of 21 straight points to net the win and become the winningest player in program history. UW-Parkside trailed by nine with 6:13 left before the senior guard took over, scoring the next 21 points for the Rangers, forcing overtime with nine seconds left on a layup and giving the visitors an early lead in overtime.

The Norridge, Illinois native was 16-for-26 from the field, committing zero turnovers and collecting his 88th career victory as a Ranger, surpassing Stevie King (1974-1978) for the most wins in school history. Fellow guard Kendale McCullum added 24 points while dishing out six assists as the team shot 55.7 percent (39-for-70) from the field.

Two days later, McCullum forced overtime by hitting a pair of free throws with 26 seconds left while Mazurczak hit the game winner on a jumper with 0.2 seconds left in overtime for the Rangers' 16th win in 17 tries. UW-Parkside trailed by as many as 14-points, including a 10-point gap with 3:37 left before holding Quincy to without a field goal the final 2:20 of regulation while closing regulation on a 10-2 run to force overtime.

McCullum and Mazurczak again provided the one-two punch with 30 and 26 points, respectively while Kyle Flanagan added 19 off the bench.

Three Rangers head into Thursday averaging in double figures with Mazurczak headlining the team's efforts, averaging 19.1 points per game. Mazurczak ranks fifth in the GLVC in scoring while also adding 4.7 rebounds per game and 3.6 assists per game. Kendale McCullum drops 14.4 ppg while leading the GLVC in steals (2.1 per game) and sitting third in assists (4.7 per game). Alexander Brown adds 12.5 ppg while Kyle Flanagan adds 8.5 ppg with 21 blocks. Flanagan additionally leads the league in field goal percentage, nailing 64.4 percent (65-for-101) of his shots from the floor. Goran Zagorac powers Parkside on the glass, securing 6.8 rpg with 22 blocks.

UW-Parkside sits second in GLVC in scoring margin ( 10.7) and field goal percentage (49.7 percent) and while ranking third in three-point field goal percentage (38.1 percent) and rebounding margin ( 3.8) and fourth in scoring offense (84.5 ppg), field goal defense (43.7 percent), and blocks (3.17).

Feb. 18 vs. Saint Joseph's College at DeSimone Gymnasium (Live Stats)(Video)(Audio)

Series History: Parkside and St. Joseph's have clashed 39 times with the Pumas owning a 23-16 lead in the all-time series. The Rangers have blown away the Pumas in each of the last two meetings, cruising to the 82-55 win inside DeSimone Gymnasium on Jan. 31, 2015 while blowing away the hosts in the second half for the 96-60 victory on Dec. 5 in Rensselaer, Indiana.

About the Pumas: Saint Joseph's (9-16, 4-11 GLVC) looks to bust out of a seven-game slump having last tasted victory back on Jan. 21 with a 79-73 win over McKendree University. The Pumas allowed 90 or more points in four of the seven setbacks, including a 113-60 shellacking at then No. 11 Bellarmine University on Jan. 28.

SJC's final five games are all on the road with the trip beginning last week suffering an 87-77 defeat to William Jewell College on Feb. 11 before getting edged 68-64 against Rockhurst University on Saturday.

Davious Webster leads the Puma offense, contributing 11.2 points per game while Nathan Tidwell adds 10.9 ppg and a team-best 7.7 rebounds per game. Davone Daniels nets 10.8 ppg with CJ Hardaway and Nick Jeffirs adding 10.1 and 9.7 ppg, respectively.

SJC ranks fourth in the GLVC in free throw percentage (75.6 percent) but sits last in the 16-team league in both scoring defense (89.1 ppg) and scoring margin (-8.8).

Feb. 20 vs. University of Indianapolis at DeSimone Gymnasium (Live Stats)(Video)(Audio)

Series History: The Rangers and Greyhounds have battled 38 times on the hardwood with UIndy owning a 25-13 advantage in the all-time series. The two squads last met on Dec. 3 to open up GLVC action with the host Greyhounds earning a 90-79 victory inside Nicoson Hall despite Andy Mazurczak and Kendale McCullum combining for 42 points.

About the Greyhounds: Indianapolis (18-5, 12-3 GLVC) headed into last week In a three-way tie atop the East Division with Parkside and Bellarmine before dropping a 98-93 stunner to Rockhurst on Feb. 11. The Hounds regrouped on Saturday, needing overtime to escape William Jewell with the 96-89 win.

Against Rockhurst, the host Hawks scorched the nets all night, shooting 62 percent from the floor and 64 percent (nine-for-14) from beyond the arc to secure the five-point upset despite a 28-point effort from Jordan Loyd.

Two days later the Hounds faced a 15-point deficit before tying the game at 79 with 2:10 remaining as the squads combined to miss their final four shots from the field to force overtime. Four UIndy players ended the game in double figures including Joe Retic who tallied a career-high 23 points.

Jordan Loyd leads the Hounds and ranks third in the GLVC in scoring, netting 20.3 points per game along with a team-best 6.7 rebounds per game and 2.0 steals per game. Retic adds 11.2 ppg while Tyler Rambo chips in 9.9 ppg and 3.8 rpg. Lucas Barker is UIndy's main distributer, averaging 4.4 assists per game along with 9.8 ppg.

Indianapolis paces the 16-team GLVC in free throw percentage (78.8 percent) and sits third in both scoring offense (84.8 ppg) and steals (8.65). The Greyhounds also rank fourth in rebounding defense (33.1), rebounding margin ( 2.4), and turnover margin ( 2.22).

Triple Digits: UW-Parkside scored over 100 points against both Truman State University (102-96) and Quincy University (108-107) last week, marking the first time since the 1987-1988 season the Rangers had back-to-back 100 point games. That season the Green and White piled on 100 points in three consecutive games, pouring it on in wins over Ferris State University (127-122) on Nov. 23, Northeastern Illinois University (109-77) on Nov. 25, and Valley City State University (100-68) on Nov. 27.

Overtime Success: Over the past four seasons UW-Parkside has won seven of its eight overtime contests. The Rangers are currently 3-0 in overtime in 2015-2016 while owning a 1-1 record in 2014-2015 and a 3-0 mark in 2012-2013. All 30 games during the 2013-2014 campaign were decided in regulation. Parkside's lone overtime stumble over the past four seasons was a 68-67 defeat to Drury University on Mar. 7 in the 2015 GLVC Tournament Semifinals in Saint Charles, Missouri.

Panther Love: Drury University fans should love UW-Parkside after the collateral damage the Rangers inflicted on its West Division rivals. The Panthers started last week in a three-way tie atop the GLVC West standings with Truman State University and Quincy University. Overtime wins by the Green and White at the expense of both clubs has allowed Drury to take the driver's seat in the West Division title race, now owning a one-game lead atop the standings.

Piling on the Points: UW-Parkside's win over the University of Illinois Springfield on Jan. 30 marked the second time this season that every Ranger to see the floor scored at least a point. All nine Rangers scored at least five points while all 11 Rangers to see action on Nov. 17 against Silver Lake College were able to find the back of the net. The feat was nearly replicated on Feb. 6 with 12 of the 13 Rangers to see the court scoring in a blowout over Rockhurst University.

Let's go streaking: UW-Parkside's 11-game winning streak was the third longest active streak in Division II before getting snapped on Jan. 28 in Lebanon, Illinois. The Rangers are no stranger to extended winning streaks, stringing together runs of 12 in a row and 10 in a row during the record-setting 2014-2015 season and a streak of 10 during the 2013-2014 season. The longest winning streak in program history belongs to the legendary 1974-1975 team that racked up 16 consecutive wins in a season that saw the Rangers advance to the Elite Eight of the NAIA National Tournament.

NABC Top 25 Rankings: UW-Parkside remains in the NABC Top 25 Poll for the fifth consecutive week, climbing three spots to No. 14, the team's highest ranking this season. The Rangers made their national poll debut this season at No. 24 on Jan. 19. This marks the 29th week the Rangers have appeared in the NCAA Division II Coaches' Poll in program history. Last season, Parkside made its Top 25 debut on Jan. 13 and remained in the rankings for the final nine polls of the year, ending the season ranked eighth nationally. Of UW-Parkside's 29 appearances in the poll, 26 have taken place over the past four seasons.

National Stat Rankings: UW-Parkside sits 14th nationally in field goal percentage (49.7 percent) and 30th in Division II in both scoring margin ( 10.7). Individually, Kendale McCullum ranks 24th in steals per game (2.1) and 50th in total steals (44).

Pod-demonium: The GLVC continues its pod system for the 2015-2016 season, 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 the University of Indianapolis, Saint Joseph's College, and travel partner Lewis University. Pod mates rotate every two years with the Rangers previously paired with Lewis, University of Illinois Springfield and McKendree University from 2013-2015.

Preseason Prognostications: UW-Parkside is picked to finish fifth in the GLVC East in 2015-2016 according to the league's 16 head coaches.

The Rangers (26-4, 17-1 GLVC) accumulated 71 points in the poll, securing the No. 5 spot in the eight-team East Division and owning a 30-point cushion on sixth place University of Illinois Springfield (11-16, 5-13 GLVC). National semifinalist and GLVC East Co-Champion Bellarmine University (31-4, 17-1 GLVC) sits atop the poll, collecting 119 points and 14 of the 16 first place votes.

The University of Indianapolis (25-6, 14-4 GLVC) is second with 101 points and one first place nod while the University of Southern Indiana (19-8, 12-6 GLVC) is third with 87 points and the remaining first place endorsement. Lewis University (22-9, 12-6 GLVC) rounds out the upper half of the division, slotting fourth with 81 points.

UIS is sixth with 41 points, followed by McKendree University (11-15, 4-14 GLVC) in seventh (35 points) and Saint Joseph's College (6-22, 3-15 GLVC) in eighth (33 points).

In the West Division, defending GLVC Tournament Champion Drury University (21-9, 12-6 GLVC) ranks No. 1 with 115 points and 11 first place endorsements. One point is all that separates No. 2 from No. 3 with Truman State University (20-10, 11-7 GLVC) grabbing 92 points to snag second while Quincy University(13-16, 7-11 GLVC) is third with 91 points. Both Truman State and Quincy collected two first place votes. The University of Missouri-Saint Louis (19-11, 10-8 GLVC) rounds out the upper half of the division, netting 82 points and the final first place vote.

Maryville University (12-17, 6-12 GLVC) is fifth with 70 points followed by William Jewell College (13-14, 9-9 GLVC) in sixth (45 points), Missouri University S&T (9-17, 2-16 GLVC) in seventh (38 points) and Rockhurst University (7-19, 3-15 GLVC) in eighth (35 points).

Senior Salute: Saturday is Senior Day as Andy Mazurczak and Jalen Currie will be honored in a pregame ceremony. Mazurczak has played in every game over the last four seasons, helping the squad capture three-straight GLVC East crowns while Currie, a Kirkwood Community College transfer, owns a mind-blowing 46-7 record with the Rangers over the past two years, including a 30-3 record in the rugged GLVC.

Milestone Maz: Senior guard Andy Mazurczak eclipsed the 1,000-point barrier for his career on Nov. 17 against Silver Lake College with a 20-point outburst against the Lakers. Point 1,000 came on a fast-break layup with 10:12 left in the second half. Mazurczak additionally surpassed Walter Greene (1978-1981) for fourth on the all-time assists list in the same game and currently sits with 410 career assists, good for third on the all-time charts. The performance propelled the sport management major to GLVC Player of the Week honors on Nov. 23 while earning the honor again on Jan. 11 after surpassing Marlon Grice (1998-2002) for third on the all-time assists list. Mazurczak completed the hat-trick on Feb. 15, earning his third GLVC Player of the Week honor after averaging 33.0 points per game in a pair of overtime wins.

Mr. Ranger: Andy Mazurzcak made history in the team's 102-96 overtime win over Truman State University on Feb. 11, surpassing Stevie King (1974-1978) as the winningest player in program history. Mazurczak currently owns an 89-23 record in a Parkside uniform while King tallied an 87-37 mark with the Rangers during his four year stint with the Green and White. Mazurczak also has a chance to potentially catch Joe Foots (1975-1979) for the most games played in program history. Foots suited up for 118 games while Mazurczak is just six games back with 112 appearances in a Parkside uniform. A total of 11 Rangers have played in at least 110 games, the most recent being All-American Zygimantas Riauka who appeared in 112 games from 2011-2015.

Award Watch: Andy Mazurczak earned a spot on the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District team on Feb. 11, one of five student-athletes to be honored in District 4. Mazurczak is additionally one of 50 players on the Bevo Francis Award watch list. The Bevo Francis Award is given annually to the top overall player in small college basketball.

Non-Conference Mastery: The Rangers have dominated non-conference play over the last four seasons, owning a 34-7 record in regular season non-league clashes. UW-Parkside wrapped up this season with a 7-1 record during the non-conference slate. Last season the Rangers tallied an 8-1 non-league mark while going 7-1 in both 2013-2014 and 2011-2012 and posting a 5-3 record in 2012-2013.

Home Cooking: UW-Parkside has won 31 consecutive GLVC games inside DeSimone Gymnasium. That stretch includes eight wins over nationally-ranked opponents and five wins over Top 10 teams. The Rangers have additionally won 36 of their last 38 games at home, including a stretch of 16 in a row.

20-Win Club: The Rangers eclipsed the 20-win barrier for the fourth consecutive season with its overtime triumph over Quincy University on Feb. 13, marking the first time in the 47-year history of the program the Rangers have enjoyed four straight 20-win campaigns. The Rangers enjoyed three consecutive 20-win campaigns from 1974-75 to 1976-77 and again from 1984-85 to 1986-87 while netting five in six years from 1974-75 to 1979-80.

Reigel's Rangers: Head Coach Luke Reigel begins his 13th season as head coach and his 16th season overall at UW-Parkside in 2015-2016.

Reigel, the GLVC Coach of the Year in both 2013 and 2015, has guided the Rangers to three straight GLVC East Division crowns while also earning Jack Bennett Man of the Year Award and Midwest Region Coach of the Year honors in 2013. The Wisconsin native sits second on the all-time wins list with 189 wins and has guided the Rangers to four NCAA Tournament berths.

Returning to the sidelines will be associate coach Keven Bradley along with assistants Tom Reigel and Andy Fitzgerald.