SPRINGFIELD, IL --- The Prairie Stars (10-15, 4-11) had four players reach double-figures as they outlasted the Miners of Missouri S&T (8-16, 4-11) by a score of 78-74 in what was a fast paced game from the opening tip. Jamall Millison scored 16 first half points to take a five point lead and then the Prairie Stars used timely rebounding to secure their fourth GLVC win and stay alive for a tournament berth.

Millison began the game with a corner three on a great dish from freshman, Bahari Amaya. After the early three though, Missouri S&T scored 11 unanswered to take an eight point lead before JJ Cravatta ended the run with a three. Paxton Harmon followed Cravatta with a three of his own to cut the deficit to just two in a span of two possessions.

The Miners ran their lead back up to ten with just over ten minutes left in the half, the most they would lead by in the game. Down 24-14, the Prairie Stars used an 11-3 run to cut the deficit to 27-25 in the span of five minutes and then took their first lead since the opening possessions on a jumper from Logan Gonce, making the score 31-30.

UIS wouldn't trail again in the game, but by no means did the Miners go away. Over the course of the final 5:13 of the first half, UIS ran off a 15-5 run to take a 40-35 lead into the half. The Prairie Stars shot nearly 60 percent from the field, including 5-of-8 from deep, as four different players made a three. Millison had 16 points at the break on 7-of-8 shooting while Gonce added six points and four assists.

In the second half, the Miners got the UIS lead down to four on three separate occasions, but were never able to get any closer as the Prairie Stars always came up with a basket when they needed it.

With the score 64-54 in favor of the Prairie Stars, the game took a turn with 7:23 remaining as Davi Austin took a hard foul on a fast break. This resulted in a double-technical to both Danylo Zuikov and Austin and then following a 1-of-2 trip to the line from Austin, the Miners when on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to just six.

As stated though, the Prairie Stars came back with five points on the next three possessions from Richard Freeman, Millison, and Austin to take a nine point lead.

Along UIS hit just 4-of-8 free throws down the stretch, Cravatta hit two of them with 45 seconds remaining to push the lead to nine, which sealed the game. The Prairie Stars had five offensive rebounds in the second half alone which resulted in five points. Harmon came up with two of those offensive rebounds, both times giving the Prairie Stars fresh 30-seconds on the shot clock, shortening the game.

A late three from Missouri S&T made the final score 78-74 but the Prairie Stars played exceptional defense in the second half, limiting the Miners to just 3-of-14 from three and grabbing 21 rebounds in the second half. The plus-12 rebounding differential is the third highest of the season.

Gonce ended the game with 15 points, eclipsing his previous season high of seven, while also dishing out five assists, one short of his season-best six. 

UIS will return home next week to face Southern Indiana and #13 Bellarmine. Both teams beat UIS on their home courts in the first GLVC series of the season, and now sit in first and fifth in the GLVC eastern division.