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Box Score

UW-Parkside Postgame Press Conference

NCAA Tournament Central

SOMERS, Wis. (Mar. 13, 2016)-- The top-seeded University of Wisconsin-Parkside men's basketball team survived a rash of upsets during the opening round of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional but wasn't so lucky in day two, suffering a 92-77 setback to fifth-seeded Saginaw Valley State University in the second round inside DeSimone Gymnasium.
 
The 25th-ranked Cardinals (24-7) will face seventh-seed and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Champion Ferris State University in the Midwest Region Championship on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. with the victor advancing to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in Frisco, Texas. The lower seed has won five of the six NCAA regional games played at DeSimone Gymnasium this weekend with UW-Parkside's 74-65 triumph over eighth-seeded Kentucky Wesleyan College on Saturday the lone exception.

"This group has a lot to be proud of," said three-time Great Lakes Valley Conference Coach of the Year Luke Reigel. "When you step back from it, they'll look back on a lot of historic moments for the Parkside program. I'm proud of them and I'm proud of the effort we gave, we never quit."
 
Saginaw Valley tallied the opening five points before the 13th-ranked Rangers (25-6) answered with 10 of the next 12, seizing a 10-7 lead with 15:33 left in the opening period. The Cardinals counterpunched with an 18-4 run, opening up an 11-point lead and prompting a Ranger timeout with 10:11 left in the first half.
 
SVSU's edge was extended to 12 with 8:39 left before the Ranger charged back, slicing the deficit to just six, first on a Kendale McCullum and one situation and again on a pair of free throws from Andy Mazurczak with 5:31 left. The Cardinals once again answered the call with an 8-2 run to reestablish a double-digit barrier on the hosts and enjoyed a 46-35 advantage after 20 minutes of play.
 
UW-Parkside trailed by as many as 18 in the second half before using a 12-2 run to close the gap to just 63-55, energizing the partisan crowd. Andy Mazurczak got things started with a pair of layups with Jake Verhagen draining a wide-open three to pull the hosts within eight with 11:38 to go. SVSU had another surge left in the tank, scoring nine of the next 11 to open up a 15-point gap. The Cardinals maintained a 10-point buffer the rest of the way, punching their ticket to the Sweet 16.

"It was an incredible journey (this season) and I'm proud of the program and the players we have."
 
McCullum led the Rangers with 20 points and five assists while also netting five rebounds. Mazurczak contributed 19 while Alexander Brown chipped in 17.
 
C.J. Turnage claimed the contests lone double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds while Wade Gelhaus added 18 off the bench. Garrett Hall had 15 points with Devin Dixon chipping in 13 with six boards.
 
Saginaw Valley owned a 44-11 edge in bench production while owning a 43-33 rebounding edge.

"I just want to thank the staff. The ones that are here and still here, and the ones that are no longer here. They saw something in me in high school and gave me an opportunity," said Mazurczak. "It was fun. I'm glad I can make an impact somehow, someway. That was my personal goal coming here to Parkside."

Sunday's game was Mazurczak's 120th and final game in a Ranger uniform. The sport management major and 2016 GLVC Player of the Year finishes his distinguished career with a school record 94 wins while ranking sixth on the program's all-time list in scoring (1,531 points) and third in assists (444), helping UW-Parkside win four consecutive GLVC East Division crowns and make four trips to the NCAA Tournament.