SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Parkside men's basketball program opened their 2024-25 campaign on Saturday evening at the annual Conference Crossover. The Rangers matched up against Upper Iowa University, who are currently receiving votes in the preseason NABC Poll. Parkside would fall to the Peacocks 82-63.
Inside the Box Score
- Nick Brown started the year strong leading all scorers with 20 points. The graduate student went 9-15 from the field while also pulling down six rebounds off the glass.
- Ehi Ogbomo shined in his collegiate debut. The freshman came off the bench to supply the Rangers with 10 points along with a team high four assists.
How it Happened
The first half of action would feature plenty of back-and-forth basketball. The opening half of play featured 10 lead changes. Parkside's defense would shine, holding the Peacocks to shoot just 30.8% from the field in the first half. The Rangers would string together a 6-2 run just before the end of the half. Highlighted by a
Nick Brown put back dunk, Parkside would take a slim 31-30 lead into the halftime break. Brown would finish the half with a game leading 13 points.
Upper Iowa's offense would find their footing in the second half. They would come out of the break on a quick 7-0 run to retake the lead from the Rangers at 38-32. Parkside would not bow down as they would put up an 15-2 run themselves.
Ehi Ogbomo would spearhead the Rangers double digit run, pouring in six points and a pair of assists. Parkside would find themselves back in the game with a 49-43 lead with 11:58 left in the game.
The Peacocks respond just before the midway point of the second half and retake the lead from the Rangers with 10:14 remaining at 50-49. The Peacocks would not look back, riding a 57.1% second half shooting performance to create a comfortable gap. UIU would build as much as a 25-point cushion before cruising to an 82-63 victory over the Rangers.
Up Next
The Rangers will look to bounce back as they play in less than 24 hours against the host UIS Prairie Stars. The two sides are set to tip off Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. CST. Coverage can be found at ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
