Box Score (KENOSHA, Wis., Feb. 20)—The McKendree University men's basketball team put the University of Wisconsin-Parkside to the test before dropping an 84-80 decision Thursday evening at DeSimone Gymnasium in Kenosha, Wis.
 
The visiting Bearcats built an eight-point lead early in each half, but the Rangers, who are ranked No. 25 in the latest NCAA Division II poll, surged ahead with just over two minutes to play and held on for the Great Lakes Valley Conference win. McKendree moves to 9-15 overall and 3-13 in GLVC play. The Bearcats will close out a two-game northern road trip Saturday afternoon in Romeoville, Ill., against Lewis University. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
 
Junior forward Arthur Williams (Cairo, IL/Cairo) registered a double-double for McKendree with team-high totals of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Mike DiGregorio (Morton Grove, IL/Niles Notre Dame) chipped in with 14 points, while senior guard Clinton Happe (Evansville, IN/F.J. Reitz) added 12 points, five rebounds and a team-best five assists for the Bearcats.
 
After Wisconsin-Parkside grabbed an early two-point advantage, McKendree reeled off 10 consecutive points to take a 12-4 lead just four minutes into the contest. Senior forward Will Kirksey (St. Louis, MO/Lafayette) had five points during the burst for the Bearcats, including a jumper in the lane and free throw that capped the run at the 15:58 mark. McKendree never relinquished the lead the rest of the half, although the Rangers pulled within 23-22 on a lay-up by Zygimantas Riauka with 6:47 left in the period.
 
McKendree was able to extend the margin back to eight points thanks to a lay-up by Williams with 1:19 on the clock. Wisconsin-Parkside scored on its final two possessions of the half before a driving lay-up by DiGregorio just ahead of the buzzer sent the Bearcats into the locker room with a 38-32 advantage. Both teams shot over 50 percent in the first half, with McKendree hitting 53.6 percent (15-of-28) of its field goal tries, while Wisconsin-Parkside connected for a 55.6 percent clip (15-of-27).
 
On its first possession of the second half, McKendree pushed the lead back to eight points at 40-32 as junior forward Matt Holmes (Houston, TX/Marshall) scored on a reverse lay-up. At that point, the Rangers put together a 14-0 run, holding the Bearcats without a point for more than four minutes while regaining the lead at 46-40. Happe ended the scoring drought for McKendree by hitting a three-pointer with 15:42 to play. That long-range shot led to a 15-4 run over the next four minutes that pushed the Bearcats back in front at 55-50 with 12:25 to play.
 
Wisconsin-Parkside forged a 72-69 lead when a lay-up by junior guard Mike Springs (Waukegan, IL/Waukegan) at the four-minute mark timed the McKendree deficit to one point. Springs then buried a three-pointer with 2:44 to play to give the Bearcats their final lead of the night at 74-72. From there, the Rangers took control, scoring the next seven points to bounce back in front at 79-74 with 1:15 on the clock. Wisconsin-Parkside was able to hang on down the stretch to complete the season sweep of McKendree. The Rangers also earned a four-point win over the Bearcats in the first meeting, 75-71 on Jan. 18 in Lebanon.
 
Riauka led all scorers with 24 points and added seven rebounds to lead the way for Wisconsin-Parkside. Andy Mazurczak helped out with 18 points, five rebounds and a team-leading five assists for the Rangers.