QUINCY, IL --- The Prairie Stars upset bid fell short against #19 Quincy University, falling 75-66 on the road to the Hawks. The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) took a one-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but couldn't sustain against the offensive powered Hawks. A 9-0 run powered the Hawks to a late lead, which they would not relinquish, pushing the Prairie Stars to 5-6 on the season and 0-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).

UIS fell behind quickly to the Hawks, who average the second most points in the GLVC, but quickly rebounded. After falling behind 9-0 in the first three minutes, the Prairie Stars were jumpstarted by five quick points from Chelsea Cross and ended the quarter on a 12-7 run to cut the deficit to 16-12.  Caroline Kelty scored the final seven points of the quarter, which was the beginning of her career day.

In an evenly matched second quarter, UIS brought the deficit down to just one on multiple occasions, but couldn't take the next step to tie the game or take the lead. Syerra Cunningham began the quarter with her first points of the night before Ashley McHenry scored back-to-back baskets to get in on the scoring. At the half, the Prairie Stars were down just three points to the nationally ranked Hawks, trailing 32-29.

The third quarter was much like the second, but this time, the Prairie Stars were able to tie the game at 41-41 on a three-point play from Shelbi Patterson at the 6:33 mark. UIS once again gained on the Hawks, as they now trailed by just two going into the final quarter of play.

The final quarter began with a bang, as Meredith Marti drilled a three off a Quincy turnover as the Prairie Stars took their first lead of the game. UIS would take the lead twice more, both off of Kelty baskets, but the Quincy offense proved to be too much. An 11-2 run pushed the lead to nine for the home team, before it became final at 75-66.

Kelty led the Prairie Stars with a standout 22 point performance on 7-of-12 shooting --- which ties the season high for any UIS player. She also pulled in four rebounds, dished two assists, and totaled five steals --- a single-game record for the Prairie Stars. McHenry and Cross both added ten points apiece while Patterson added four assists and two blocks to a seven point night.

The Prairie Stars will hit the road again for a Saturday game against Truman State with tip-off slated for 1 pm. You can catch the game on the GLVCSN or follow the live stats as the Prairie Stars look to move back to .500 on the season.