Parkside 68, Wayne State 64
Parkside men's basketball's defense got some key stops down the stretch against Wayne State on Friday afternoon, helping the Rangers to a 68-64 home win over the Warriors. Parkside improved to 8-4 overall while the Warriors fell to 7-4. This matchup has been close in the past few years, as two of the last four matchups coming into this weekend have gone to overtime.   
 
The Rangers improved to 4-1 at home this season and have won six of their last seven games.

HEAR FROM COACH REIGEL
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first half was close throughout, with neither team leading by more than four points. The Rangers had a 29-27 lead after Bryce Prochaska's second straight layup with 2:18 to play, but the Warriors were able to take a 31-30 lead into the break.
 
In the second half, Wayne State carried over an 11-2 run and jumped out to a 40-32 advantage in the early minutes. The Warriors led by as many as nine points, including a 48-39 lead with 11:00 to play. Parkside followed that with an 8-0 run that included 3-pointers from freshman Josiah Palmer and sophomore Solomon Oraegbu, but the Rangers couldn't grab the lead back.
 
Parkside grabbed its first lead of the second half at the 4:59 mark on an Oraegbu fast break layup and the teams went back-and-forth until the final minutes. The Rangers got huge stops defensively down the stretch, using an 10-0 run in the final 2:00-minutes to take a 66-58 lead and ice the game away at the free-throw line. WSU hit back-to-back 3-pointers to end the game. 
 
STATWORTHY
Three Rangers finished in double-figures, with redshirt-junior Brandon Hau leading the way at 17 points. Oraegbu finished with 14 off the bench while senior Ramar Evans had 10 points and four steals.
 
The Warriors shot 47.4-percent from the floor while the Rangers finished at 40.4-percent. Parkside got a big lift at the free-throw line, going 20-for-23 while the Warriors went 6-for-8. The Rangers bench outscored the Warriors 27-4.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Parkside will battle the Warriors once more on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 3 p.m. in De Simone Gymnasium. Next weekend, the Rangers will head to Lake Superior State and finish out the regular season at home against Michigan Tech in a highly anticipated matchup.