The Parkside women’s basketball team opens its 2026-27 season on Monday afternoon by hosting Minnesota State, Mankato, parksiderangers.com reported.
Minnesota State enters Kenosha ranked seventh in the WBCA preseason poll. The Rangers were picked third in the GLIAC preseason coaches’ poll.
Parkside has started each of the past two seasons with wins, but has not won a home opener since 2022. Minnesota State has owned the series between the two schools, never losing to the Rangers.
Last time the sides met in Kenosha, it was a close one-possession game till late in the fourth quarter when the Rangers needed to foul. The Mavericks took advantage of their foul shots and pulled away to win 82-75, according to parksiderangers.com.
Cassidy Arni had 20 points on 8-13 shooting in Mankato last season. Lillie Petersen added 18 points and Katie Hamill scored 11. Turnovers proved to be the difference as the Mavericks won the turnover battle by seven.
The Mavericks enter Monday’s matchup 1-2 on the young season. They went 1-2 against three GLIAC opponents in the Wisconsin Dells last week, parksiderangers.com reported.
Minnesota State lost its season opener 101-65 to top-ranked Grand Valley State. They bounced back with a 110-76 victory over Lake Superior State before closing the weekend with a 66-54 loss to Northern Michigan.
Haylee Stokes earned All-Tournament recognition at the D2CCA Midwest tipoff after averaging over 15 points per game and shooting over 47 percent from the floor. She grabbed eight steals over the three games and led the Mavericks with 22 points against Lake Superior State.
Monday is the first of three home non-conference games for ninth-year head coach Jen Conley and the Rangers. Parkside returns to De Simone on Nov. 21 to face the University of Illinois Springfield, followed by a matchup against Lewis on Nov. 25, parksiderangers.com reported.
After Monday's game, Parkside hits the road for a weekend in Missouri.
