Kenosha, Wis. - In the first De Simone Arena basketball game of the season, the Parkside Rangers fell in a tightly contested battle against No. 14 Minnesota State Mankato. Despite a cold day from behind the arc, the Rangers entered the fourth quarter in a tied game. Mankato notched their best quarter of the game in the final period, outscoring Parkside 28-21 en route to an 82-75 victory.
Inside the box score:
- Cassidy Arni led all Parkside scorers with 17 points. Arni filled up the stat sheet, adding four rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.
- Lillie Petersen played a strong 31 minutes, contributing 15 points while grabbing a game-best 12 boards.
- Chloe Van Zeeland brought energy to De Simone Arena, playing 36 of the 40 minutes. Van Zeeland scored a season-high 16 points along with eight rebounds and three assists.
How it happened:
In front of a loud and energetic De Simone Arena crowd, both teams began the game in a slump. It took 75 seconds for the first bucket of the game to be registered by Mankato, but the Rangers had a quick answer. After Arni netted her first two points on a driving layup, Peighton Nelson sank her first De Simone Arena shot. Nelson's basket put the Rangers up 4-2, which would be their only lead of the first half. The Mavericks proved as physical as advertised, forcing the Rangers into 10 first-quarter turnovers. Despite the struggles protecting the basketball, the Rangers finished the opening quarter trailing just 19-11.
The Rangers bounced back in the second quarter as they began to find their offensive rhythm. Arni continued her strong first half, scoring the first bucket of the period and finishing with nine points in the quarter. Parkside matched Mankato's physicality, leading a 23-18 second quarter. Chloe Van Zeeland capped the first half with a last-second jumper to pull the Rangers within three points, trailing 37-34 at halftime. However, Parkside lost the turnover battle 16-7 in the half and struggled from beyond the arc, going 0-6.
The third quarter was pivotal for Parkside in terms of momentum. By the 8:14 mark, a Lillie Petersen layup gave the Rangers a 40-39 lead—their first since early in the first quarter. However, that would be their last lead of the contest. The Mavericks responded with an 11-3 run over the next four minutes, opening up a seven-point advantage. Parkside fought back with clutch shots from Alli Hampel and Petersen, narrowing the deficit to three. With 28 seconds left in the quarter, Jaelyn Derlein hit the Rangers' first three-pointer of the game, tying the score at 54. Van Zeeland ended the quarter with a block to keep the game tied heading into the fourth.
After being held to under 19 points in each of the first three quarters, the Mavericks exploded for 28 points in the fourth. Mackenzie Schweim opened the quarter with a quick triple, while key contributions from Natalie Bremer and Destinee Bursch helped Mankato pull away. Sheridan Flauger's first made three-pointer with 4:32 remaining cut the deficit to four, but the Mavericks continued to hit big shots. They were efficient at the free-throw line, going 10-12, and shot 62% from the field in the quarter. Meanwhile, the Rangers struggled to convert, finishing just 2-21 from behind the arc. The Mavericks handed Parkside their first loss of the season.
Next:
The Rangers return to action on Monday night against another NSIC foe. Parkside will travel to Minnesota for a matchup with Minnesota-Duluth at 5:00 PM. For coverage of the event, visit ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
