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The Illinois Springfield women's basketball team built a commanding first-half lead, but McKendree stormed back in the second half to take a 77-70 victory on Thursday night at TRAC. The Bearcats improved to 12-8, 8-6 in the GLVC while UIS slipped to 5-17, 4-10.

Game Recap
  • Kayla Rice set the tone early, scoring six of the team's first 10 points as the Prairie Stars aimed to keep pace with McKendree, trailing 12-10. A key sequence before the first quarter buzzer saw Rice miss a three, but Mandi Pham secured the rebound and found Niyah Udoiwod for a layup to tie the game.
  • UIS carried that momentum into the second quarter, opening with a 13-2 run. Pham drilled a three to put the Stars ahead by three, and Rice followed with a triple of her own to extend the lead to 18-12. UIS capitalized on its perimeter opportunities, knocking down five threes in the period while holding McKendree to just 25.7% shooting from the field. The Prairie Stars dominated the quarter 26-9 and took a 38-21 lead into halftime.
  • However, McKendree flipped the script in the third quarter, starting with a three-pointer and a driving layup as defensive lapses allowed the Bearcats to gain momentum. McKendree erased the deficit with a 25-8 run, tying the game at 46-46 before pushing ahead 50-46 heading into the final frame. Emma Slings led the charge for the Bearcats with 10 points in the third quarter.
  • UIS refused to go down without a fight, trading blows in a high-scoring fourth quarter. The Prairie Stars tallied 10 points to McKendree's six early in the period, with Udoiwod and Rice leading the charge. As the clock dipped under a minute, UIS trailed by three. Rice buried a clutch three-pointer to bring the Stars within 73-70, but the Bearcats sealed the game with a pair of free throws and a layup in the final moments.
  • Emari Doby led UIS with 19 points, followed by Udoiwod with 18 and Rice with 17. Every Prairie Star who saw action secured at least one rebound, but UIS was edged on the boards 33-28.

Up Next
The Prairie Stars stay home to host Maryville on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

Around the GLVC
McKendree 77, Illinois Springfield 70
Maryville 77, Indianapolis 58
Upper Iowa 66, Lincoln 41
Drury 88, Truman State 64
Lewis 65, Missouri-St. Louis 54
Southwest Baptist 78, William Jewell 66
Quincy 76, Missouri S&T 61