SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Kentucky Wesleyan's half-court trap and quick style of play shut down the University of Illinois Springfield men's basketball team as the visitors took home an 80-61 victory on Sunday afternoon at The Recreation & Athletic Center.

Finishing up non-conference play, UIS stands at 6-2 and drops its first home contest of the season. The Panthers improve to 7-3 on the year.

For UIS, sophomore Mark Weems (Chicago) pushed his way to a game-high 17 points on 6-of-11 from the floor and five makes from the line. Junior Davi Austin (Newark, N.J.) was the only other Prairie Star to score in double figures with 12 points, six coming from the line.

In the early goings of the game, the teams tied five times - the final on a triple from junior Jamall Millison (Bolingbrook, Ill.) at 15-all. Millison scored two of UIS' three treys for the day. From there though, Kentucky Wesleyan took control of the game and never relinquished the lead.

The Panthers ballooned their lead to double figures, 31-21 on a jumper from Marcus Fillyaw before eventually taking a 44-30 advantage into halftime. Kentucky Wesleyan shot 51 percent in the opening stanza, while UIS was limited to just 38. The visitors also capitalized on the Prairie Stars' 11 first-half turnovers with 13 points.

UIS cut the lead back to single digits early in the second half after going on a 9-2 run to pull within 50-44 at the 15:29 mark. It was the closest the hosts would get through as a 12-1 run in favor of the visitors as they took back a double-figure edge. A three-pointer by CJ Blackwell gave Kentucky Wesleyan its biggest lead of the game, 80-58 (22) with 1:08 to play.

In the second half, UIS did not fare much better from the field as it shot 45 percent to go 16-for-38 for the game for a 42 percent clip. The Panthers went 31-for-64 shooting for a 48 percent clip. Both teams struggled from long range as the teams combined for just seven total treys.

Off the glass, the Panthers used their size to hold a 32-29 edge in rebounds, including a 14-8 advantage in offensive boards leading to 20 second-chance points.The Prairie Stars committed a season-high 21 turnovers which led to 29 points for KWC. Blackwell, Hikeem Stewart and Ken-Jah Bosley each finished with 12 points, while Fillyaw scored 10.

Illinois Springfield now has some time off to prepare for GLVC action. The Prairie Stars return in 2015 against UMSL on Friday, January 2 at 7:30 p.m. in St. Louis. It will be the only Friday night game due to the New Year's holiday.