The UIS women's basketball team battled until the final seconds but fell just short against Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL), losing 49-48 on Thursday evening in St. Louis. The Tritons completed a season sweep of the Prairie Stars in dramatic fashion, winning on free throws in the final seconds. With the loss, UIS dropped to 4-16 overall and 3-9 in GLVC play, while UMSL improved to 15-4 overall and 9-3 in the conference.

Game Recap

• The game opened with UMSL storming ahead 7-2, but UIS quickly tightened up on both ends of the court. The Prairie Stars clawed back to trail 11-9 in a first quarter marked by minimal stoppages.
• UIS found its rhythm early in the second quarter, taking its first lead of the game at 14-11 on a Kayla Rice three-pointer. Makenna Yeager made her presence known on both ends with three steals and five points in the opening 15 minutes. 
• The Prairie Stars shot 44.4% from the field and an impressive 50% from beyond the arc in the quarter.  Despite the strong effort, UIS trailed 23-20 at halftime, with Rice contributing eight points to keep her team within striking distance.
• The second half began with momentum swinging back to UMSL. The Tritons dominated in the paint, building a 31-22 advantage midway through the third quarter. UIS struggled on the boards, being outrebounded 11-4 in the period, and trailed 41-32 heading into the final quarter.
• The Prairie Stars showed resilience in the fourth, chipping away at the deficit. With under four minutes to play, UIS brought the game within five points but missed a pair of critical three-point attempts. In the closing minute, Allysia McDaniel converted a layup to make it a one-possession game. After a UMSL miss, McDaniel tied the game at 48-48 with another layup, assisted by Rice. A missed Tritons shot gave UIS a chance to take the lead, and Diavian Mehundrew hit a free throw to put the Prairie Stars ahead 48-47.
• On the final possession, UIS pressured UMSL into running the clock down to 2.9 seconds, leaving the Tritons scrambling. However, a late foul sent UMSL to the line, where they made both free throws to reclaim the lead. In the final moments, UIS inbounded to Rice, who drove to the basket for a potential game-winning layup but narrowly missed.
• Kayla Rice led the Prairie Stars with 18 points, while Allysia McDaniel added 10 points and eight rebounds. Despite the loss, UIS displayed grit, nearly toppling a UMSL team that now boasts a 15-4 record.

Up Next
UIS will look to bounce back against the Lincoln Blue Tigers on Saturday afternoon. 

Around the GLVC
Missouri-St. Louis 49, Illinois Springfield 48
Maryville 69, McKendree 65
Truman State 84, Rockhurst 59
Quincy 66, Southwest Baptist 54
Lewis 59, Missouri S&T 49
Indianapolis 68, Lincoln 53
Drury 74, Upper Iowa 67