The UIS men's basketball team was narrowly defeated by Quincy, 83-78, in the BoS Rivalry Cup on Saturday afternoon at TRAC. UIS held a 39-31 lead at halftime, but Quincy seized control in the second half to come away with the victory. The Prairie Stars dropped to 7-8 overall and 2-5 in GLVC play, while Quincy improved to 7-7, 2-4 in conference action.
"We give credit to Quincy; they were very hard for us to guard in the second half," said head coach Matt Brock. "We lost our lead quickly and it became a battle the rest of the way. We'll have to be better defensively if we want to have success in this league."
Game Recap
- The game was tied early at 6-6, before Britton Dutton hit a three-pointer to give UIS a brief lead. Quincy reclaimed the advantage, but UIS answered with a strong stretch, hitting four three-pointers in the first 14 minutes to pull ahead.
- The Prairie Stars held a 39-31 lead at halftime, outperforming their opponent on the boards with a 19-11 rebounding advantage. UIS also shot better, hitting 48.4% of their field goal attempts compared to Quincy's 41.4%.
- QU came out strong in the second half, scoring the first seven points after the break to quickly cut the UIS lead to one.
The game stayed tight throughout the half, with several lead changes as both teams battled for control. Jack Weber had a strong second half for UIS, contributing key baskets to keep the game close. - With under six minutes to play, the teams exchanged three-pointers as the lead remained within three points. However, Quincy edged ahead 77-72 with 90 seconds left and managed to hold on for the win, claiming the BoS Rivalry Cup.
- Max Kunnert led UIS with 16 points, while Jack Weber finished with 15. Isaiah Esker had an efficient outing off the bench, scoring 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
UIS will travel to Bolivar, Mo., on Thursday, Jan. 16 to face the Southwest Baptist Bearcats in GLVC play.
Around the GLVC
Quincy 83, Illinois Springfield 78
Upper Iowa 93, Indianapolis 76
Truman State 77, McKendree 73
Missouri S&T 90, Drury 74
Rockhurst 88, Missouri-St. Louis 71
Lincoln 67, Southwest Baptist 45
Maryville 72, William Jewell 63