KENOSHA, Wis. — Parkside women's basketball will take its momentum on the road this weekend, traveling to St. Louis for a pair of matchups against last season's Great Lakes Valley Conference champions. The Rangers open Friday, Nov. 13, at 1 p.m. CT against defending GLVC Tournament champion Maryville inside Moloney Arena before visiting defending regular-season champion No. 25 Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday, Nov. 14, at noon CT inside the Mark Twain Building.
Parkside enters the trip 1-0 after an 88-68 victory over No. 7 Minnesota State, Mankato on Monday during Education Day at De Simone Arena. The Rangers earned their first win in 13 meetings with the Mavericks and their first home-opening victory since 2022. It also marked Parkside's third consecutive season-opening win and its first victory over a ranked opponent since defeating then-No. 1 Grand Valley State at home on Feb. 15, 2025.
Cassidy Arni led the way with 30 points on 14-for-19 shooting, delivering the second-highest scoring performance of her career in just under 19 minutes. Lillie Petersen added an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double while matching her career high with six steals. Petersen also contributed four assists and two blocks, while Katie Hamill rounded out the Rangers' double-figure scorers with 15 points.
Parkside did much of its damage around the basket, scoring 62 points in the paint and turning 22 Minnesota State turnovers into 29 points. The Rangers shot 54.2 percent from the field and recorded 25 assists on 39 made baskets, with Petersen, Lexi Bugajski and freshman Izabel Durst sharing the team lead with four assists apiece.
That production carried over to the defensive end, where Parkside held the Mavericks to 37.7 percent shooting and finished with 12 steals and five blocks. Bugajski accounted for three of those blocks, while Alli Hampel provided six points and nine rebounds off the bench. The Rangers will look to carry that balance into a weekend against two programs coming off school-record 25-win seasons.
Friday, Nov. 13
Parkside at Maryville
1 p.m. CT | Moloney Arena | St. Louis, Mo.
Saturday, Nov. 14
Parkside at No. 25 Missouri-St. Louis
Noon CT | Mark Twain Building | St. Louis, Mo.
SCOUTING MARYVILLE:
Maryville enters Friday's matchup 1-0 after opening its season with a record-setting 116-26 victory over Division III Eureka on Tuesday. The Saints established program records for points, margin of victory and, rebounds, collecting 83 boards while limiting Eureka to 18.2 percent shooting. Maryville scored the game's first 17 points and led 60-9 at halftime.
Freshman Melia Lemorande made an immediate impression off the bench, finishing with 28 points and 13 rebounds while connecting on four three-pointers. Lindsey Schadewalt added 22 points and 10 rebounds, Hadley Crosier scored 12 points, and Claire Lueken finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. The Saints recorded 28 assists against nine turnovers and made 12 three-pointers.
The opener followed a breakthrough 2025-26 season in which Maryville finished 25-7 overall and 16-4 in conference play. After placing second in the regular-season standings, the Saints defeated UMSL in the GLVC Tournament championship game to secure the program's second NCAA Division II Tournament berth. Maryville was picked to finish first in this season's GLVC preseason coaches poll, narrowly ahead of the Tritons.
Schadewalt headlines the returning group after earning first-team All-GLVC honors last season. The junior guard averaged 14.4 points per game and shot 42.6 percent from three-point range, leading the conference and ranking sixth nationally. Lueken earned GLVC All-Freshman recognition after averaging 11.3 points and 4.4 rebounds, while second-team All-GLVC selection Gracie Gopalan contributed 7.3 points per game and 100 assists. Maryville also added seven newcomers, including four freshmen and three transfers.
The Saints took last season's meeting in Kenosha, 65-61, on Nov. 14, holding off a late Parkside push after the Rangers pulled within one in the closing minute. Hamill led Parkside with 17 points, while Bugajski recorded her first collegiate double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Friday will be the 11th meeting between the programs, with Parkside holding a 7-3 series advantage and a 4-2 record on the road against Maryville. The Rangers won their most recent visit to Moloney Arena, 75-60, on Nov. 8, 2024, to open the 2024-25 season.
SCOUTING NO. 25 MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS:
UMSL enters the week 0-1 after falling 52-38 at No. 14 Central Missouri on Monday. The Tritons will host Roosevelt on Friday at 1 p.m. before welcoming Parkside the following afternoon, giving the Rangers their second matchup against a nationally-ranked opponent in their first three games.
The Tritons struggled to find their offense in the opener, shooting 29.6 percent from the field and making two of 14 attempts from three-point range. UMSL cut an 18-point second-quarter deficit to six by halftime but went scoreless in the third quarter as Central Missouri regained control. Mara Rieder and Emerson Weller led the Tritons with eight points apiece, while Rieder and Jayden Kuper each collected eight rebounds. UMSL held a 42-32 advantage on the glass.
Despite the opening loss, the Tritons bring back much of the group that produced the most successful season in program history. UMSL won a school-record 25 games last season, went 18-2 in GLVC play to capture the regular-season championship, and reached its first conference tournament final. The Tritons also made their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and earned the program's first NCAA Tournament victory.
Nine players return, led by Rieder, the reigning GLVC Player of the Year and a second-team All-American. Rieder led the conference in scoring and rebounding last season, averaging 19.5 points and 10.1 rebounds while adding 68 blocks. Kuper earned GLVC Freshman of the Year honors after averaging 14.2 points and 7.2 rebounds, leading the team with 64 steals and finishing second with 86 assists. Their return helped UMSL earn the No. 25 preseason national ranking and a second-place selection in the GLVC preseason coaches poll.
Saturday will also bring Hamill back to the program where she began her collegiate career. Against her former team last season, Hamill matched her career high at the time with 23 points to help Parkside earn an 82-73 victory at De Simone Arena.
This will be the 17th meeting between the programs. Parkside leads the all-time series 13-3 and has won four straight against the Tritons, including a 71-62 victory in the Rangers' most recent visit to St. Louis in 2024.
LOOKING AHEAD:
Parkside will return to De Simone Arena for two more matchups against GLVC opponents, beginning Saturday, Nov. 21, against Illinois Springfield at 2 p.m. CT. The Rangers will then host Lewis on Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 1 p.m. CT to open a women's and men's basketball doubleheader.
To keep up with the Rangers throughout the season, visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.
