HOUGHTON, Mich. — Parkside women's basketball used a dominant third quarter to pull away on the road Thursday night, rolling past Michigan Tech 61-46 inside the SDC Gymnasium.

The Rangers led wire-to-wire and turned a modest halftime edge into a runaway with a 24-6 third quarter, taking a 55-29 lead into the fourth. Michigan Tech made a push late by winning the final period 17-6, but Parkside's cushion was never seriously threatened.

Lexi Bugajski and Lillie Petersen paced a balanced Parkside attack with 15 points apiece. Bugajski went 6-of-12 from the field and knocked down 3-of-6 from deep, while Petersen was also 6-of-12 and added a team-high nine rebounds. Cassidy Arni finished with 13 points and nine rebounds, getting to the line 10 times and going 5-of-10. Katie Hamill chipped in five points with four assists, and Peighton Nelson added five assists and four rebounds as Parkside assisted on 16 of its 20 field goals.

Michigan Tech was led by Ella Mason's 11 points and Alyssa Wypych's 10. Wypych also grabbed five rebounds, while Kendall Standfest pulled down four boards and Mason added three rebounds. Tech finished with just two made 3-pointers on 15 attempts.

Parkside set the tone early with defense turning into quick offense. The Rangers jumped out 14-3 midway through the first quarter, using early steals and transition baskets to seize control, then took an 18-12 lead after one. Michigan Tech steadied itself in the second quarter and trimmed the margin to 31-23 at the break, but Parkside's defense tightened coming out of halftime and the game flipped decisively.

The Rangers held Tech to 1-of-12 shooting in the third quarter and 0-of-6 from three during the period, while Parkside hit 7-of-15 from the field and went 4-of-5 from deep. Petersen and Bugajski both buried 3-pointers during the run, and Parkside repeatedly turned stops into points to stretch the lead past 20 before the quarter ended.

For the game, Parkside shot 36% from the field (20-of-56) and 35% from three (8-of-23), while Michigan Tech shot 29% (16-of-55) and 13% from beyond the arc (2-of-15). Parkside won the rebounding battle 47-34 and finished with advantages in points off turnovers (14-8), second-chance points (13-7) and fast-break points (11-5). The Rangers also committed 14 turnovers, but limited Tech's damage with just four assists for the Huskies on the night.

Parkside is back in action Saturday as the Rangers travel to Marquette, Michigan for their final regular-season game against No. 22 Northern Michigan at noon CT.

To keep up with the Rangers, visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.