Box Score BOX SCORE

Parkside 65, Northwood 55
Strong performances from Senior Carolina Rahkonen and Sophomore Alyssa Nelson led the Rangers to their fourth straight win, moving to 3-1 in the GLIAC.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Rahkonen and Nelson combined for Parkside's first 18 points, spanning the entire first quarter. Rahkonen scored 13 in the first quarter, outpacing Northwood by herself, with the Timberwolves scoring nine in the frame. The second quarter wasn't as strong for the Rangers, as they shot 4-for-17, allowing Northwood to get back into the game. The first lead of the game for Northwood came in the second quarter when a basket by Taylor Maizie gave them a 25-24 lead with 1:02 left in the half. It looked like the Green & White would head into the break at a deficit, but redshirt-sophomore Claire Jakaitis connected on a three-pointer with 33 seconds left to take a 27-25 lead into the half.
 
The start of the second half started, but neither team could separate themselves, with Parkside slightly outscoring the Timberwolves 17-16 in the third quarter. The Rangers three-point lead wouldn't last long in the fourth quarter as a three pointer by Northwood's Adele Kemp tied the game at 44 with 9:37 left in the game. However, Parkside rebuilt a lead when they rattled off a 10-0 run to effectively put the game away.

HEAR FROM COACH CONELY
"Really proud of our effort tonight. I think this was one of our best defensive performances that we've had thus far," second year head coach Jen Conely said. "Offensively, we worked for great shots that didn't fall like they normally do, but that's just part of working off the rust from break."
 
STATWORTHY
Rahkonen led the team with 19 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Nelson was close behind with 17 points on an efficient 7-for-11 from the field to go along with six rebounds.
 
One big advantage the Rangers benefited from was ball movement, as they racked up 18 assists to Northwood's nine. They were also able to win the rebound battle, 38-35. Parkside outshot the Timberwolves, shooting 43.1-percent to the hosts'  35.7-percent from the field.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The team will start on a five-game home stand with Saginaw Valley State coming to town on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 1 p.m. The second game of that home stand will come against Michigan Tech on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 5:30 p.m.