Women's Basketball Holds off Wayne State
 
PARKSIDE 73, WAYNE STATE 68
Parkside women's basketball used a 24-5 second quarter to help fuel the 73-68 win Saturday afternoon at DeSimone Gymnasium to snap a four-game skid. The Rangers led for the majority of the game and prevailed in the end, as they held off a late comeback from Wayne State. Parkside was led by graduate student Ali Bettencourt, who scored 18 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
 
HEAR FROM COACH CONELY
"Wayne State is a good team, they're athletic and relentless. If they're up or down, they are still going to play 100%," said head coach Jen Conely. "I was really excited to see that we were able to finish (the win). I thought we did a good job down the stretch."
"Taylor Stephen is so hard to defend, she is a slippery ball-handler and one of the best ball-handlers I've ever coached."
 
FIRST HALF
The first few minutes of the game belonged to Wayne State, as they jumped out to an early 10-5 lead. The Rangers responded with 5:22 remaining in the quarter, as junior Carolina Rahkonen made a basket to spark a 12-7 run of their own to close the quarter. The two teams were all tied up after one with a score of 17-17. Parkside kept the momentum and came out of the quarter break on a 13-1 run. The Rangers held Wayne State without a field goal for the first 5:14 of the quarter. With the score 30-20, a pair of threes from Bettencourt helped the Rangers extend their lead to 36-20. A buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Rahkonen capped a 24-5 quarter from the Rangers, making the score 41-22 at the break.
 
SECOND HALF
The teams traded baskets for most of the third quarter until 1:57, when a triple from redshirt-senior Blair Arthur triggered a 7-0 run to close the quarter with the Rangers on top 61-35. In the fourth quarter, Wayne State went into a full-court press and forced turnovers to help them get back in the game. The Warriors nearly erased a 27-point deficit, coming within four points in the final minute. The Rangers held off the comeback to secure the win.
 
STATWORTHY
Bettencourt led the team with 18 points, with 11 coming in the second quarter. Rahkonen added 15 points while redshirt-senior Shelby Cheston added 14 off the bench. Redshirt-junior Taylor Stephen finished the game with a career-high eight assists and a season-high eight rebounds.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Parkside will head to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. to take on Lake Superior State on January 17^th at 4:30 p.m. They will then travel to Ferris State to take on the Bulldogs on January 19^th at noon.