The UIS men's basketball team hits the road this weekend, first traveling to St. Louis for a Thursday night game against Missouri-St. Louis at 7:30 p.m. The Prairie Stars will then head to Jefferson City, Mo., on Saturday for a 3:00 p.m. matchup against Lincoln.
Illinois Springfield (10-9, 5-6 GLVC)
The Prairie Stars are coming off a split weekend that included a tight contest against No. 9 Missouri S&T. Excellent defense from UIS kept the game tied at halftime. The second half featured several scoring runs from both teams, with UIS briefly taking a 64-62 lead after a clutch three-pointer from Tye Banks. However, Missouri S&T answered with a three of their own and then capitalized on a technical foul late in the game. The Miners made 8-of-9 free throws to close out the contest with a 15-9 run, securing a 79-68 win.
On Saturday, UIS took an early 20-point lead against Drury. UIS capitalized on the Panthers' poor shooting to build a 24-14 advantage. The lead stretched to 27-14 as Drury went silent for over six minutes, and UIS entered halftime with a 35-14 lead. The Panthers rallied in the second half, but UIS maintained control, with Evan Altman scoring key points. Drury cut the lead to a single possession late, but UIS sealed the 73-64 victory with clutch free throws and a deep two-pointer from Jack Weber.
UMSL (9-9, 7-4 GLVC)
The Tritons suffered a 79-76 loss to Quincy on Monday before bouncing back with a 91-66 win at Maryville on Thursday.
The game against Quincy was a back-and-forth battle of lead changes, but ultimately, UMSL fell just short. With just under six minutes remaining, the Tritons held an eight-point lead, but they were limited to only two free throws for the rest of the game. Quincy took advantage of UMSL's cold stretch, outscoring them 13-2 in the final minutes to secure a 79-76 victory. The Tritons had several opportunities to regain the lead, including missed field goals and a costly turnover. On their final possession, they opted for a two-point attempt, which missed, sealing the narrow loss.
At Maryville, UMSL shot a season-high 55% from beyond the arc, setting records for scoring (91 points), field goals made (35), three-pointers (16), field goal percentage (59.3%), and assists (26). After a close start to the second half, UMSL pulled away with a 19-8 run. The Tritons led by as many as 27 points late in the game. Interestingly, only one foul was called in the first half, a flagrant foul on UMSL, and the game saw only 11 fouls total.
Matt Enright leads the team in scoring with 14.8 points per game and a 42.5% shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Emmanuel Prospere II also contributes significantly, averaging 11.3 points per game.
Lincoln (13-5, 5-5 GLVC)
UIS will take on Lincoln in Jefferson City, Mo., on Saturday afternoon. The Blue Tigers, new to the GLVC this year, have faced UIS before, with the Prairie Stars winning three of four matchups between 2010 and 2014. Lincoln lost 79-75 to Truman State in overtime on Monday but bounced back to defeat McKendree 73-68 on Thursday. The Blue Tigers will play Indianapolis on Thursday before hosting UIS.
Against Truman State last week, Lincoln rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half to force overtime, but Truman State prevailed. Lincoln grabbed a late lead, but Truman State responded with a layup and free throws to secure the win in the extra period.
At McKendree, four Lincoln players scored in double figures as they shot 52.4% from the field in a 73-68 win. The Blue Tigers built a strong lead and held off a late McKendree rally, with West and Max Ekono adding crucial free throws to seal the win.
Follow Along
Fans can follow each game live on the GLVC Sports Network (GLVCSN). Live statistics will also be provided, allowing viewers to stay updated on the action in real-time.