SOMERS, Wis. -- Junior Blair Arthur hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 2:21 to play in regulation and Wisconsin-Parkside held off McKendree 53-51 in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game on Saturday in DeSimone Gymnasium.

The Rangers trailed 51-50 after a layup by Ellie Pusheck with 2:34 to play in the fourth quarter, but Arthur answered on Wisconsin-Parkside's next possession with a three-pointer that put the Rangers ahead to stay at 53-51.

Wisconsin-Parkside, which improved to 7-12 overall and 5-6 in conference play, then had to hold off the Bearcats during a frenetic final two minutes of action.

The Bearcats, who dropped to 10-10 overall and 1-9 in the GLVC, had several opportunities to tie the game but came up empty. The best chance for McKendree came with eight seconds to play when Amber Alexander missed a driving layup and Clarisa Martinez secured a critical rebound for the Rangers.

Following a timeout, Wisconsin-Parkside was unable to execute the inbounds pass and the Bearcats Shannon McGinnis came up with a steal. She found Alexander for a three-point attempt at the buzzer, but the shot was off the mark and the Rangers escaped with their fourth consecutive win at home.

The Rangers fought an uphill battle all afternoon long as McKendree led for 31:43 of the game and held a 56-36 rebounding advantage against Wisconsin-Parkside. The three-pointer by Arthur gave the Rangers the lead for just the fourth time in the second half.

Wisconsin-Parkside relied on its defense, which held McKendree to just 30.3 percent shooting and blocked a season-high 13 shots, to gain the victory.

Brittney Fair and Lauren Boerger led the Rangers with 12 points each, while Shelby Cheston had nine points, seven rebounds and six blocked shots. Arthur finished with nine points and three steals and sophomore Taylor Stephen added five points, five assists and a career-high 10 rebounds.

McKendree was led by Ellie Pusheck who scored 12 points, while McGinnis had 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals.

The Bearcats led by as many as eight points in the second quarter before the Rangers fought back into the game.

A three-pointer by Boerger started a 6-0 run, which got the Rangers to within 27-25 with 4:46 to play before halftime. McKendree used a jumper by Shayli Florine to take a 32-28 lead into the intermission.

McKendree stretched the lead to 37-31 in the third quarter on a layup by Alexander, but the Rangers responded with a 9-2 run to take a 40-39 lead on a layup by Boerger with 3:30 to play in the third quarter.

The Bearcats then answered with a 5-0 run that gave McKendree a 44-40 lead after three quarters of play.

Neither team led by more than three points in the fourth quarter and the Rangers took the lead for the first time in the quarter at 48-47 on a layup by Fair with 4:52 to play in the game.

The Bearcats regained the lead at 49-48 on a layup by Megan Jensen with 4:23 to play, but Fair answered with a layup that gave the Rangers a 50-49 lead at the 2:49 mark of the fourth quarter.

Pusheck gave McKendree the lead for the final time with her layup before Arthur answered with her game-winning three-pointer.

Wisconsin-Parkside returns to action on Thursday (Feb. 2) when it visits Rockhurst for a GLVC game beginning at 5:30 p.m.