SOMERS, Wis. – All five starters finished in double-figures as the Parkside men's basketball team defeated Illinois-Springfield 79-70 Thursday night in DeSimone Gymnasium for Pinkout Night.
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Freshman
Ramar Evans led the charge for Parkside, tying a career-high with 20 points while finishing with six assists and five rebounds. In his first 11 games, Evans had just one double-digit scoring game. In his last 10 games, he's done it seven times. Along with Evans,
Goran Zagorac finished with 19 points and nine rebounds,
Adam Bonk had 13 points,
Espen Fjaerestad went for 12 and
Joe Borcia added 10. The duo of Bonk/Fjaerestad went 7-for-9 from beyond the arc, with Bonk, who entered the game ranked No. 5 in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage, going 4-for-5.
In the first half, UIS held an early 4-3 lead, but a quick 8-0 Ranger run made it an 11-4 game with 14:13 in the first half and Parkside never trailed again. While the Prairie Stars made it a one-possession game on many different occasions, the Green & White held strong and closed the half on an 8-2 run to lead 41-31 at the break.
In the second half, Parkside kept a double-digit lead for a majority of the first 10:00, but UIS kept at it and dropped the Parkside lead to six with 4:02 remaining. Evans hit a clutch 3-pointer to push the lead to nine and the Rangers iced it away at the free-throw line, where the team scored its final 10 points.
The Green & White outshot the Prairie Stars 53.1 to 45.1 percent and connected on four more 3-pointers and went 7-for-9 in the first half from downtown. UIS won the rebounding battle, 31-27.
Parkside will host UMSL on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 3 p.m. for Military Appreciation Day. Anyone who shows a Military ID will gain free admission to DeSimone Gymnasium.