The Illinois Springfield men's basketball team will hit the road for a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) games this week. First, the Prairie Stars will face Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Mo., on Thursday before heading to Kansas City, Mo., to take on Rockhurst on Saturday afternoon.

Illinois Springfield (7-8, 2-5 GLVC)
UIS is aiming to bounce back after a split weekend in GLVC play, falling to Quincy after securing a victory over Truman State.

The Prairie Stars started strong against Truman State, building a 10-point lead midway through the first half, thanks to strong defense and efficient shooting. UIS outscored the Bulldogs 20-6 during a key six-minute stretch and took a 33-20 advantage into halftime. Max Kunnert led the charge with 23 points, including five three-pointers, while Khalil Ross added 14 points and nine rebounds. UIS shot 40% from the field and limited Truman State to just 37.9% shooting, including 19.4% from beyond the arc. In the second half, both teams shot over 50%, but UIS maintained a comfortable 12-point lead midway through the half. The Prairie Stars continued to excel in the paint (28 points) and on the fast break (6-0). UIS also capitalized at the free-throw line, hitting 12-of-22 attempts compared to Truman State's 5-of-8.

UIS had a similar start against Quincy, taking a 39-31 lead into halftime behind solid rebounding (19-11) and efficient shooting (48.4% from the field). The Hawks made a second-half run, cutting the UIS lead to just one early in the period. The teams traded baskets in a tight contest with several lead changes. Despite Jack Weber's strong second half, Quincy edged ahead 77-72 with 90 seconds remaining and held on for the win, claiming the BoS Rivalry Cup.

Max Kunnert remains the team's leading scorer at 16.1 points per game, followed closely by Jack Weber (12.1), Evan Altman (10.8), and Khalil Ross (10.7). The Prairie Stars have been efficient offensively, shooting 48.8% from the field and 38.2% from three-point range.

Southwest Baptist (6-7, 3-4 GLVC)
Southwest Baptist is currently on a four-game losing streak after defeats to Lincoln and Missouri-St. Louis this week. On Saturday, SBU fell to Lincoln 67-45, with junior Drenin Dinkins leading the team by scoring 21 points, marking his third consecutive 20-point game. Graduate Mitch Ganote added 10 points and came close to a double-double with eight rebounds, also contributing four steals.

In Monday's 71-65 loss to UMSL, SBU's three-game road trip concluded with a hard-fought game featuring six lead changes. SBU led 50-47 in the second half before a decisive 12-0 run by UMSL secured the Tritons' victory. Freshman Barron Silsby had a standout performance, scoring a career-high 15 points, hitting 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Dinkins continued his impressive streak with another 21-point game, maintaining a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. 

Drenin Dinkins now averages 17.8 points per game, shooting 42.8% from the field, 31.3% from three-point range, and 92.2% from the free-throw line. Mitch Ganote leads the team in shooting efficiency, averaging 14.8 points per game on 57.7% field goal shooting and 48.9% from three.

Rockhurst (11-4, 5-2 GLVC)
Rockhurst is one of three GLVC men's basketball teams with five conference wins this season. Rockhurst will host Indianapolis on Thursday before meeting UIS.

Last Thursday, the Rockhurst men's basketball team fell 82-79 to Maryville in St. Louis, Missouri, snapping their six-game winning streak. After trailing 27-19 in the first half, a 7-0 Hawks run cut the lead to one before Maryville extended it again to 34-26. Rockhurst mounted a late second-half comeback, going on a 26-8 run to get within two points, but Maryville held on with a free throw in the final seconds. In the game, Rockhurst shot 37.1 percent from the floor and 25 percent from three-point range.

On Saturday, Rockhurst posted an 88-71 win over Missouri-St. Louis. The Hawks used two key second-half runs to secure the victory, pulling away with a 10-2 run that extended their lead to 65-57. Rockhurst shot 50 percent from the floor and 48 percent from three-point range, excelling in the second half with a 65.52 percent shooting performance.
Jesse White spearheads Rockhurst's offense with 17.3 points per game, while Brian Hawthorne, Jaylen Wesley, and Daniel Carr also contribute with double-digit scoring averages.

Follow Along
Watch live on the GLVC Sports network or follow live statistics, linked on the UIS men's basketball schedule.