SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State women's basketball team fell to the Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers in the team's first Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game of the 2021-22 season by a final score of 76-56 at the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. With the loss, the Lakers overall record sits at 1-4 while the team's conference record is 0-1.
The game between the two conference rivals was low-scoring through the first five minutes of the opening quarter as the Rangers held a 10-3 lead with 4:39 left on the clock. Mackenzie Bray recorded all three points for the Lakers to open the game.
The first ten minutes of play ended with the Rangers holding a 21-5 lead over the Lakers.
The second quarter saw junior guard Margot Woughter net an early three-pointer for the Lakers and later in the quarter, senior guard Ella Bontrager recorded back-to-back field goals for the Lakers as the score sat at 26-14 with just over four minutes left in the half. Woughter's strong game continued as she registered four of the final five baskets for the Lakers in the half. The Lakers cut the Rangers lead to nine points as the home team trailed at the half 33-24.
The Rangers extended their lead to 16 points early in the third quarter as Alyssa Nelson made a three-pointer (40-24). Parkside's offense in the third quarter was too much for the Lakers to handle as the visiting team outscored LSSU, 26-7, in the quarter.
In the last ten minutes of the game, the Lakers rallied to try to overcome the deficit, outscoring the Rangers by a 25-17 margin. Junior forward Mattison Rayman scored the first four points of the fourth quarter for the Lakers. Jozie Bontrager made a three-pointer with 7:10 left on the clock and Woughter followed with a jumper as the Lakers made it a 65-40 game.
In the closing two minutes of the game, Brittany Bowman and Mackenzie Kalchik each went 2-for-2 on free throws but the Lakers could not come back and dropped the game by a final score of 76-56.
Breaking Down the Game:
Woughter led the Lakers with a season-high 19 points in the game as she went 9-for-19 from the field to total a 47.4 shooting percentage against the Rangers. The junior guard finished the game with five rebounds and five assists. Rayman led the team in rebounds as she totaled 12 against Parkside.
The Lakers finished the game with a 34.5 shooting percentage, going 20-for-58 in the game. On the other end of the floor, the Rangers went 30-for-57 in the game to total a 52.6 shooting percentage. Lake Superior State outrebounded Parkside, 29-26, in the game.
Up Next
The Lakers will close out the first weekend of conference play on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 1:00 p.m. as the Lakers will take on the Purdue Northwest Pride at the Bud Cooper Gymnasium.
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