The conference schedule doesn’t get any easier for the UW-Parkside men’s basketball team.

Just two days after dropping their Great Lakes Valley Conference opener in relatively disappointing fashion, the Rangers look to bounce back against undefeated Missouri-St. Louis 3 p.m. today at the DeSimone Gymnasium.

The game will be aired on WRJN (AM 1400) and on the Internet at www.parksiderangers.com.

“There’s no time to feel sorry for yourself,” said Reigel after Thursday’s 73-62 loss against Rockhurst (Mo.). “You have to step up and get ready for the next game.”

While Reigel is not one for excuses, the Rangers (3-4) have been short-handed the entire season with a constant stream of injuries.

Former Racine Case star Steve Jaskulske, slowly recovering from off-season knee surgery, made his much-anticipated debut Nov. 27 against Grace Bible College. The 6-7 redshirt freshman appeared in his third game on Thursday and played just six minutes without a point or rebound.

“It’s tough,” Regiel said. “(Rockhurst) played a lot of zone and then played four guards for most of the second half. I wanted to get him more reps, but with four guards it was tough for him to guard anybody.”

Parkside forward Jeremy Saffold, one of three freshmen in the Rangers’ starting lineup, has made an immediate impact. The versatile 6-6 player finished with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds against Rockhurst.

Saffold is second on the team in scoring (15.4 ppg) and leads the Rangers in rebounding (5.9 rpg). He has started all seven games alongside freshman point guard Ryan Callozzo (6.3 ppg). Freshman forward Kevin Senechalle (5.3 ppg) made his third straight start Thursday since opening the season with a sprained ankle, but scored just three points in 26 minutes.

Because of all the injuries, the Rangers had only eight players available at the start of the week.

“We have to learn from (Thursday’s loss),” Reigel said. “I told our guys it’s not their fault, but you really see the value of practice. We didn’t have a good week of practice and it wasn’t because of a lack of effort or focus. You have to be able to have good practices to carry over into the game.”

The UW-P women’s basketball team continues its impressive start in hosting Missouri-St. Louis in a GLVC game 1 p.m. today at the DeSimone Gymnasium.

The game can be heard live on the Internet at www.parksiderangers.com.

The Rangers (5-1, 1-0) are coming off of a 76-46 victory over Rockhurst in both team’s GLVC opener on Thursday in Somers. Missouri-St. Louis (1-5, 0-1) suffered an 80-65 defeat at Lewis (Ill.) on Thursday.

Parkside is one of the league’s most-balanced teams with Brittany Beyer (15.6 ppg), Brittany Hogen (15.2 ppg), Jadee Rooney (14.5 ppg) and Amanda Gibson (11.8 ppg) each averaging double figures in scoring.

Missouri-St. Louis features a three-guard lineup of Beaumont Beasley (21.5 ppg), Ryan Lawrence (15.7 ppg) and Jeremy Brown (12 ppg). The Tritons opened GLVC play with a 73-62 win at Lewis (Ill.) on Thursday.

“They are real athletic and talented on the perimeter and have three really big bodies inside,” Reigel said. “They have really good balance throughout their lineup.”

The teams have a common opponent in Upper Iowa. Missouri-St. Louis defeated Upper Iowa, 70-65, on Nov. 28 in Fayette, Iowa, while the Rangers lost at Upper Iowa 74-54 on Nov. 23.