SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Southern Indiana led from start to finish as it downed the University of Illinois Springfield men's basketball team, 67-54, on Saturday evening at The Recreation and Athletic Center.

The Eagles raced out to a 15-4 lead by 13:44. The Prairie Stars then went on a 15-5 run to come within one, 20-19 on a triple from junior Davi Austin (Newark, N.J.). It was as close as the Prairie Stars got for the remainder of the game.

Southern Indiana closed the half with an 8-3 run to take a 28-22 advantage into the locker room. UIS struggled to find the basket in the opening stanza, shooting just 31 percent from the floor and only landing 2-for-11 from the long range. The visitors also did not fare well from three-point land as they hit just one, but went 13-for-28 to shoot 46 percent.

In the second stanza, a Jamall Millison (Bolingbrook, Ill.) three-pointer pulled UIS to within six, but Southern Indiana was able to maintain its distance and never relinquish the lead. The Prairie Stars shot better in the second frame, hitting 12-of-31 to go 21-for-60 from the floor for the game.

Austin finished with 12 points on 5-for-10 from the floor, while dishing out five assists and grabbing three rebounds. Mark Weems (Chicago) chipped in 12 points and Millison added 11. Senior Dylan Sparkman (East Peoria, Ill.) grabbed a team-best nine boards and finished with four points.

TeNale Roland had a game-high 21 points for the Eagles, while Gavin Schumann tallied 16. Southern Indiana held an edge off the glass, 43-26, and had a 10-7 advantage in second chance points.

The Prairie Stars now head to Missouri for their final road weekend when they travel to Drury on Thursday before taking on Missouri S&T on Saturday.