DULUTH, Minn. --- Hitting the road for the first time this season, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside women's basketball team took on the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Wednesday night. The Rangers got off to a hot start, building a 19-5 lead in the first quarter, but the Bulldogs were able to slowly chip away, downing Parkside by a final score of 68-63.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Alyssa Nelson had a game-high 19 points on the night
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Paty Gallasova had a team-high seven rebounds and five assists.
HEAR FROM COACH JEN CONLEY
"That was a tough road loss tonight. Our squad battled hard for 40 minutes. I was really proud of our defensive intensity, especially in the first quarter. Our first possession defense was solid, we were executing the game plan well and making their post work hard. Overall, we did a better job on the boards, but our lapses were brutal and gave them momentum to get back in the game. Maja did a phenomenal job boxing out, we needed all five to box out and pursue though and we will continue to get better with that. We also need to work on being disciplined for 40 minutes. We had a couple of silly fouls that gave them easy points toward the end as well. Overall there are a lot of positives to take away from our performance today but I am super disappointed with the outcome, especially because we took control early and had it throughout the game. We will learn from it and make sure that we are better for Saturday's home game against Concordia St.Paul."
The Rangers jumped out to an early lead.
Courtney Schoenbeck opened the night by hitting a three from the corner. Parkside made the big run late in the quarter.
Mckenna Armstrong started the run, hitting a short jumper. The Rangers lead reached double-digits for the first time on a Nelson spin-around layup. Nelson then extended the lead even further by beating the buzzer with a three from the wing, giving Parkside a 19-5 lead after the opening ten minutes.
Duluth worked to cut into the Parkside advantage in the second quarter, but the Rangers were able to produce enough offense to keep the advantage. Both teams made six field goals in the second quarter, but a pair of threes and five Bulldog free throws allowed Duluth to pull within 32-24 at the half.
The two sides played the third quarter nearly even, but Duluth was able to get a late basket to cut the Parkside lead to just six. The Bulldogs continued to fight back, pulling even with the Rangers at 52 with 6:07 to go in the fourth. Parkside was unable to regain the lead from there, despite getting a couple of good looks late.
The Rangers return to action on Saturday afternoon inside De Simone Arena at the HARIBO Invitational against Concordia St.Paul. Opening tip is set for 1:00pm. Links to coverage, including the live stream through FloSports can be found at parksiderangers.com/coverage.
