ALLENDALE, Mich. -- The No. 5 Parkside women's basketball team competed in the GLIAC Tournament Semifinal against the host No. 1 GVSU. The Rangers went to Allendale looking to upset the top seeded Lakers. The Lakers offense was to hot to beat as the Rangers fell 72-59.

"Disappointing loss against GVSU today. It was two great teams battling it out and unfortunately we came out on the short end of it. I thought we had some really good looks that just didn't fall. In the end, they shot 13 more FTs than us and that was the difference. I thought we played pretty well but had spells where we reached and attempted to block instead of walling up. Not sure if this was the last game with this squad or if we will be playing again next week. We will find out tomorrow evening," said head coach Jen Conely following the loss.

Inside the Box Score

• Grace Lomen had a fantastic showing. The sophomore posted a new career high in points scored with 23 while shooting a perfect 9-9 from the charity stripe.
• Chloe Van Zeeland put in a solid shift for Parkside. She racked up eight points and a team high seven rebounds in just 15 minutes of action. 
• The Rangers as a team would shoot 37.5% from the field but struggle tremendously from deep, making just four of their 24 attempts on the afternoon. 

How it Happened
The two sides battled early, trading the lead three times in the first minute and 30 seconds of action. Grand Valley would take the lead at the 7:33 mark and start on an 8-0 to distance themselves from the Rangers. Grace Lomen would score the Rangers next six points to help the Rangers answer back. They would trail by just two points with 2:39 remaining in the 1st quarter until the Lakers found themselves on another run. GVSU would close out the first quarter on a 7-2 run to protect their lead, with the score at 23-16.

Parkside answered quickly to open the second quarter, making the first four buckets of the quarter. The Rangers would retake the lead from the Lakers 26-23, thanks to a 10-0 run to open the quarter. The Ranger lead was short lived as Grand Valley would answer with a 10-0 run of their own. The Lakers would stay in the drivers seat entering halftime with an eight point lead over the Rangers, 40-32. 
The third quarter would open with both sides struggling to score. Only one Laker three point basket would be made in the opening 4:15 of the second half of play. At the 5:44 mark the Lakers would score on back to back possessions, stretching their lead to 15 points. A Cassidy Arni three point play would give the Rangers some momentum, but the Lakers offense had finally found their groove coming out of the half. The Lakers would put up 17 third quarter points to the Rangers 11 to make the score 57-43 at the end of the third quarter.
The Rangers entered the fourth quarter looking to chip away at the Laker lead. The Rangers got into foul trouble early in the fourth quarter, putting the Lakers in the bonus. GVSU would go a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line in the final quarter of play. The Rangers couldn't overcome the deficit and would lose 72-59.

Up Next
The Rangers will hope for an at large bid into the Division II NCAA Tournament. The selection show will Sunday at 9:30 p.m. as the Rangers eagerly await their fate.