Somers, Wis. – The Maryville men's basketball team staged a furious comeback in the second half but fell short as the University of Wisconsin-Parkside defeated the Saints 83-78 Thursday night at DeSimone Gymnasium in Somers, Wis.
 
The Saints got off to a slow start as UW-Parkside raced out to a 39-17 lead with just over eight minutes remaining in the first half but Maryville started to chip away at the lead as they finished the half on a 14-6 run to cut the Rangers lead to 45-31 heading to the half. Jimmy Barton and Marvin Grant-Clark each nailed triples to aid the Saints in the run late in the half.
 
The Rangers kept Maryville at bay for the first part of the second half and extended the lead to 73-58 on a Kendale McCullum triple from the right wing with 7:52 remaining. Evan Booker jump started a 7-0 run with a pair of free throws and a lay-in while Anthony Johnson hit a jumper and a free throw to cut the deficit to 73-65 with 4:13 left. Alexander Brown hit a jumper to give UW-Parkside a 77-67 lead, but the Saints ripped off an 8-0 run with Jeff Leeson drilling a triple from the right wing to get the Saints to within two points at 80-78 with 43 seconds left. The Rangers sealed the deal by converting 3-of-4 free throws to grab the win.
 
McCullum finished the night with a game-high 22 points while Kyle Flanagan added 19 points and 11 boards for UW-Parkside (13-1, 5-0 GLVC) in the win.
 
Johnson and Forrester Sims each scored 16 points to pace the Saints while Johnson also grabbed a team high eight rebounds. Grant Sims added 15 markers for Maryville while handling out three assists.
 
Maryville (7-11, 1-5 GLVC) continues their two game road trip as the Saints travel to Romeoville, Ill. to take on Lewis University on Saturday, Jan. 14^th. Game time is set for 3:00 p.m.