Ferris State 91, Parkside 89
Game two of the Parkside and Ferris State doubleheader was a game of runs, highlighted by a 33-17 second quarter from Parkside, and a 35-15 third quarter from the Bulldogs. The Rangers were led by 26 points and eight assists from junior Alyssa Nelson.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams went back-and-forth in the early going until the Parkside offense exploded at the start of the second quarter with a 22-4 run that put them up 36-20 with 4:32 remaining in the half. The Bulldogs pulled the game back to 12 before a buzzer-beating jump shot from junior Maddy Harrison extended the Parkside lead to 47-33 heading into the break.
 
After being outscored 33-17 in the second quarter, Ferris State was able to immediately respond in the third quarter, outscoring Parkside 35-15 thanks in large part to Kadyn Blanchard who scored 15 of her 37 points in the frame.
 
Down 68-62 at the start of the fourth, the Rangers were able to battle back and cut the lead to three on a made three from Nelson with 6:10 left on the clock. Unfortunately, that was as close as they got until a buzzer-beating three from senior Alexis Vaughn made the final score 91-89.
 
HEAR FROM COACH CONELY
"Tough loss today," said head coach Jen Conely. "We played well in the first half, I was really happy with our defensive intensity. Unfortunately, we let up and, hats off to Ferris, they kept playing and took the lead."

"Offensively, we have show that we can score," Conely continued. "We have to find a way to play great defense for 40 minutes. Giving up 91 points isn't going to win you many games. We will watch film and learn from our mistakes - need to have a much better defensive effort next week against Grand Valley State."

STATWORTHY
Apart from Nelson's 26, the Green & White had three others in double-figures. Vaughn finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, redshirt-junior Claire Jakaitis scored 14 points, and Harrison finished with 12. The Bulldogs were led by Blanchard's 37, but also got a 25-point performance from Mallory McCartney.
 
Parkside was outshot on the day, finishing 31-of-70 (44.3-percent) from the field, 10-of-29 (34.5-percent) from three, and 17-of-23 (73.9-percent) from the line, while Ferris went 28-of-67 (41.8-percent) from the field, 9-of-17 (52.9-percent) from three, and 26-of-28 (92.9-percent) from the line.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Parkside will return home for a three-game home stand, their longest of the season. The first two games will come against last year's conference runner-up, Grand Valley State. Game one is slated for Friday, Jan. 22 at 3 p.m., and game two is scheduled for Jan. 23 at 3 p.m. Rounding out the homestand the Rangers will host Purdue Northwest on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.