#4 Grand Valley State 83, Parkside 73 (FINAL/OT)
The Parkside women's basketball team opened 2023 with a game against the #4 Grand Valley State Lakers. The Rangers held the lead for the majority of the game, but the Lakers rallied late to force overtime, where they would go on to defeat the Rangers and avoid their second straight upset.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Rangers and the Lakers kept things close in the opening quarter.
Alyssa Nelson led the Rangers with six points in the quarter, helping the Rangers jump out to a 17-12 lead. The Rangers shot 50% from both the field and from behind the three-point line to start the game.
The Rangers extended their lead to six to start the second quarter, jumping out to a 20-14 lead.
Lamija Coric drained a well-timed basket to make it a 24-16 game. The Lakers responded with a three of their own to get back within five. An and-one opportunity brought the Lakers back within two points. The Rangers controlled the final minutes of the half and built their lead back to six as they went to the locker room holding a 35-29 lead.
The Lakers came out swinging in the second half, opening the third quarter with a three and cutting the Ranger lead in half. The Rangers got hot quickly, jumping out to a 43-32 lead. The Rangers continued to run with the Lakers throughout the quarter, holding on to a 50-43 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lakers closed the gap to three with under eight minutes to play. A deep three gave the Lakers the lead with just over six minutes to play, as they opened the quarter on an 11-3 run. A pair of free throws from
Kayla Bohr put the Rangers back on top 55-54. Another three gave the Lakers back the lead. A deep three from Nelson put the Rangers back on top once again. The teams continued to battle back-and-forth as the clock continued to wind down. The two teams found themselves tied at 63-63 with three minutes to go. A layup from
Paty Gallasova gave the Rangers a 67-65 lead and a steal from Nelson led to a layup on the other end put the Rangers up by four. A three from the Lakers brought the game back within two points with 51 seconds to play. A free throw form
Sheridan Flauger extended the lead to three. A deep three tied the game at 70-70 with 21.5 seconds left. The Lakers got the ball back with 2.7 seconds left, but were unable to score. The game advanced into overtime.
The Lakers won the overtime tip-off and scored first to jump out to a 73-70 lead. A layup extended the GVSU lead to five with two minutes to play. Another and-one layup brought the lead to 7. The Lakers would go on to win the game by ten in overtime.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
Nelson led the Rangers with 29 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Grace Lomen led the Rangers rebounding efforts with five rebounds, while tying with Gallasova for the team high in assists with three. Emily Spitzley led the Lakers to a win with 31 points.
HEAR FROM COACH CONELY
WHAT'S NEXT
Parkside basketball returns to De Simone Arena on Saturday, Jan. 7 as the Rangers host Davenport at 1 p.m. All fans that purchase their tickets in advance through ParksideRangers.com/tickets will receive an official Ranger Bear bobblehead sponsored by Lee Mechanical. For more information, visit
parksiderangers.com.
