ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Parkside women's basketball shook off a sluggish first half and closed strong at the free-throw line Tuesday night, earning a 55-50 road win over Lewis to improve to 4-2 and hand the Flyers their first home loss since January 2024. Lewis dropped to 1-5 after the non-conference matchup at Neil Carey Arena.
Points were tough to come by early, as Parkside shot just 32 percent from the field and 14 percent from three for the game, and the first half reflected it. The Rangers trailed 11-8 after the opening quarter and went into halftime down 24-22, struggling to establish any rhythm offensively. But junior Cassidy Arni steadied Parkside throughout the night, delivering a season-high 16 points on 5-for-12 shooting, going 6-for-7 at the stripe, while adding a game-high nine rebounds and five steals in one of the best all-around performances of the season so far.
Parkside flipped the game in the third quarter, outscoring Lewis 18-8 to turn a two-point deficit into a 40-32 lead heading to the fourth. Katie Hamill powered the run with seven of her 12 points in the frame, including a pair of threes, while the Rangers held Lewis to 31 percent shooting in the period. For the game, Parkside finished 16-of-19 at the free-throw line and won the rebounding battle 38-34, including 10 offensive boards.
Lewis made a late push in the fourth, tying the game at 50-50 inside the final two minutes behind 30 points in the paint and 17 second-chance points. The Flyers were led by Yahaira Bueno's 16 points and Jasmine Jones' nine points and seven rebounds. But Arni iced the game at the line, knocking down six free throws in the final 71 seconds as part of Parkside's game-closing 5-0 run.
Alongside Arni and Hamill, Parkside received eight points and four rebounds from senior Lillie Petersen, while junior Alli Hampel added seven points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks off the bench. The Rangers scored 14 points off 13 Lewis turnovers and held the Flyers to 33 percent shooting and just 1-for-8 from beyond the arc.
Parkside will head north to face No. 8 Minnesota State-Mankato on Saturday, Nov. 29, for a 2 p.m. CT matchup with the Mavericks.
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