Northern Michigan 60, Parkside 55
Thursday night's GLIAC contest came down to the final minutes, but the Rangers couldn't quite get it done. Despite the loss, Parkside remains in a tie for first place in the GLIAC North with a 9-5 conference record.
 
DOWN THE STRETCH
After a series of traded baskets throughout the first half, the Green & White found themselves ahead, 29-28, coming out of the break. The team opened the half looking to extend their lead, and they did just that. Back-to-back baskets from sophomore Maddy Harrison and junior Alisha Murphy extended the Ranger lead to five with eight minutes left to play in the third quarter. Northern Michigan responded with a strong finish to the quarter, outscoring Parkside 20-13, and taking a 48-46 lead into the final frame. The fourth quarter continued in the same way the majority of the game had been, back-and-forth. Parkside was able to bring the game to two when junior Aina Cabrero Siñol hit a three-pointer with a little under a minute to play. Northern Michigan got to the line the next possession, and went one-for-two, extending their lead to three. The Rangers had a chance to tie it on a three form senior Carolina Rahkonen, but the attempt wouldn't go down.
 
HEAR FROM COACH CONELY  
"Really proud of how our team battled today," said second year head coach Jen Conely. "I told them that we had no reason to hang our heads. We were locked in defensively and had solid looks on offense, but just didn't score enough to get the win. GLIAC play is tough, we have to learn from this one quickly and turn the page for Michigan Tech."
 
A LOOK AT THE BOX SCORE
Parkside only had two players in double-digits, with senior Taylor Stephen leading the way with 13 points, four assists and three rebounds, while Harrison added 12 points to go with four rebounds. The Wildcats were led by Jessica Schultz, who poured in 23 points and eight rebounds.
 
The Rangers didn't have their best shooting day, going 23-for-62 (37.1-percent) from the field and 6-of-22 (27.3-percent) from beyond the arc. Northern Michigan shot well from two, going 19-of-33 (57.6-percent), but just 3-of-13 (23.1-percent) from three. The Wildcats won the point in the paint battle (+6), rebounding (+13), and fast break points (+8).
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Parkside will continue their road-trip and head to Michigan Tech to take on the Huskies on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 11 a.m. Then, the team will be in for another test as they head to Ashland, Ohio to take on #2 Ashland on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 4:30 p.m.