­­­UIC 63, PARKSIDE 59
The Parkside men's basketball team hung tough on the road against Division I UIC on Sunday night at Credit Union 1 Area, but the Flames were able to ice the game away at the free-throw line down the stretch. Sunday's game was an exhibition for both teams.
 
HEAR FROM COACH REIGEL
"This is a great learning experience for our group," 17th year head coach Luke Reigel said. "There are definitely some positives that we can build on and clearly some areas that need improvement. I thought the effort was very good the execution needs to get a lot better."

I"t's such a great opportunity to play a team like UIC," Reigel added. "We can't simulate their athleticism and pressure in practice so this will make us better in the long run."

FIRST HALF
Parkside held the lead for much of the first 10:00 of the game, with the largest of six points coming at 14-8 with 14:07 to play after a Brandon Trimble jumper. Once the Flames took the lead at 19-18 on a free throw, Parkside wasn't able to regain the lead the rest of the game. UIC ended the first half on a 12-4 run and took a 32-24 lead into the break.
 
SECOND HALF
Parkside opened the second half on an 8-2 run thanks to four points each from redshirt-junior Tray Croft and redshirt-sophomore Joey St. Pierre. The Flames ended the run with a 3-pointer from Michael Diggins and eventually pushed the lead to double-digits midway through the second half. Down the stretch, the Rangers made it a one possession game after a made free throw from junior Ramar Evans, bringing the score to 59-56 with :43-seconds to play. After a pair of UIC free throws, Croft hit a huge 3-pointer to make it 61-59 with :06-seconds left, but a pair of free throws by UIC ended the game.
 
A LOOK AT THE BOX SCORE
Three Rangers finished in double-figures, with St. Pierre leading the way with 14 points and eight rebounds. Croft had 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists while Trimble had 10 points and a team-high three steals. Evans had eight while Brandon Hau had seven points with a team-high nine rebounds.
 
As a team, Parkside shot 38-percent while the Flames finished at 41-percent. The Rangers dominated the rebounding battle, 47-32 and went +11 in offensive rebounds, but had just eight second chance points. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, with Parkside going 2-for-11 and UIC finishing 4-for-25.
 
SEASON OPENER
The Rangers will officially open the season on Friday, Nov. 8 at 5:30 p.m. in Springfield, Ill., at the Conference Crossover Tournament. The Parkside Invitational presented by Haribo will take place on Friday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 16.