KENOSHA, Wis. --- The Parkside Men's Basketball team made key free throws late to hold off the Lake Superior State Lakers by a final score of 82-79 on Saturday night, keeping the Rangers in sole possession of the top spot in the GLIAC.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Rasheed Bello led the offense with 23 points on the night while going 7-7 from the free-throw line. He also recorded seven assists and five rebounds.
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Josiah Palmer had 18 points. He knocked down four threes.
- Parkside shot 23-28 from the free throw line as a team on the night. They were also 9-16 from deep.
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Sanmi Fajana ripped down a season high ten rebounds.
- There were 11 lead changes and nine ties in the contest.
Click here to hear Head Coach Luke Reigel's thoughts on tonight's win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saturday night's contest had the feeling of a postseason game, with both sides fighting back and forth on numerous occasions. LSSU threw the first punch of the night, grabbing a 14-7 lead just under five minutes in.
Parkside fought their way back, tying the game at 19 on a
Jamir Simpson free throw. The sides continued to exchange shots, but it was the Rangers who were able to build up a 33-27 lead with 6:01 to go in the half when Palmer hit threes on back-to-back trips down the floor.
Lake Superior State closed the game over the next six minutes, grabbing the lead back with 31 seconds to go in the half. However, Bello was able to finish off a driving layup and the ensuing free throw after the foul to give Parkside a 42-40 lead at the end of the half.
Palmer led Parkside with 17 first-half points on 6-8 shooting. Three different Lakers scored in double figures over the first 20 minutes.
The contest remained close early in the second half. Parkside extended their lead back to six with 15:48 to go on a Simpson layup in the paint, but LSSU countered with a run which resulted in a 59-55 Lakers lead with 10:41 to go.
The Rangers followed the Lakers' run with their best run of the night. Bello started the 13-2 run with a hard-earned three-point play, finishing off a layup while getting fouled. Bello then gave the Rangers the lead back for good when Bello slammed it down off a steal. Parkside continued to add on, getting a three from
Nick Brown and a pair of free throws from Simpson, resulting in a 68-61 lead with 6:04 to go.
The Parkside lead came under threat late, when the Lakers were able to hit a late layup and a three to pull back within one with 11 seconds to go. Bello sealed the game for Parkside after an LSSU foul, knocking down a pair to extend the lead to 82-79. The last-second three from Lake Superior State came up short, giving Parkside their 17
th win of the season.
Bello led all scorers in the second half, netting 14 points on 4-6 shooting. He was a perfect 5-5 from the free-throw line in the second half. Parkside shot 51% from the floor on the night while knocking down nine threes.
The Rangers improve to 17-6 overall and 10-3 in GLIAC play with the win. Parkside now has a one-game lead in the GLIAC with five games to go in the regular season. Parkside will return to action on Saturday, February 11
th when Purdue Northwest comes to De Simone Arena for a 3:00pm opening tip. Links to coverage including the live stream through FloSports can be found at ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
