SPRINGFIELD, IL --- The Prairie Stars will conclude the regular season on Thursday night when they welcome in the rival Bearcats from McKendree University. Prior to the game, Illinois Springfield will recognize the lone senior,
Paxton Harmon, for his efforts on and off the court over the past two seasons.
SETTING THE SCENE
Illinois Springfield (8-18, 3-14) has dropped three straight after picking up a win at Missouri S&T two weeks ago. Having faced the same schedule as the Bearcats, both teams have had a tough last few games, having played four straight road games at Drury, Missouri S&T, #4 Bellarmine, and #10 Southern Indiana.
The Bearcats come into the final game having lost five straight, last winning at home against Missouri – St. Louis on February 4
th. This includes a make-up game at William Jewell on the 13
th, playing three games in five days.
The two teams are tied for seventh in the GLVC east division and with a win would move into a possible tie for 12
th overall.
LOOKING FOR A FAST START
In 15 home games this season, UIS holds a 4-11 record, but all four wins have come when UIS has a lead at the half. When the Prairie Stars take a lead at the break, they are 4-2 at home and 6-3 overall. When trailing, UIS is 0-7 at home and 2-15 overall.
CONFERENCE RANKS
UIS ranks 9
th in the league in three-point shooting, hitting 37.3 from deep.
Vince Walker leads the charge for UIS in this mark, hitting 66-of-158 from deep, good for a 41.8 percent mark. Harmon is close behind at 40.6 percent.
The Prairie Stars rank 5
th in defensive rebounds per game, grabbing 27.23 and are one of five teams to grab over 27 per game.
Zach Steinberg continues to lead the way on the boards for UIS, grabbing 8.1 per game, good for fifth in the GLVC.
Individually,
Eddie Longmeyer is among the leagues' best in scoring, rebounds, and assists. The junior ranks 20
th in scoring (14.1), 19
th in rebounding (5.4), and 10
th in assists (4.04). He is the ONLY player in the GLVC to rank in the top-20 in both points and rebounds and top-10 in assists.
Logan Gonce, shooting 89.1 percent from the line, ranks 5
th in free throw shooting, making 49-of-55 from the charity stripe.
HISTORY AGAINST MCKENDREE
In the longest standing series in UIS history, these two teams will meet for the 26
th time on Thursday, 10 more times than any other match-up for the Prairie Stars. UIS is 11-14 all-time against the Bearcats in a rivalry that dates back to December 14, 2002.
The Prairie Stars have won five of the last eight and more recently, four of the last six. UIS won the game earlier this year in Lebanon by a score of 92-89 and look to win back-to-back games against the Bearcats for the fourth time. UIS is 5-6 against McKendree in Springfield.
A LOOK AT THE RECORD BOOKS
Points:
20 –
Zach Steinberg (530)
21 –
Paxton Harmon (528)
FG Made:
22 –
Zach Steinberg (193)
25 –
Paxton Harmon (183)
Assists:
12 –
Logan Gonce (127)
3-PT FG Made:
5 –
Vince Walker (98)
10 –
Paxton Harmon (83)
Rebounds:
6 –
Zach Steinberg (366)
SCOUTING MCKENDREE
The Bearcats rank 9
th in the league in total scoring, averaging 80.1 points per game. Five different players continue to average in double figures for McKendree on the season. Jackson leads the way at 17 points per game, a figure that places him sixth in the GLVC. Justin Blanks comes off the bench to average 16.1 PPG, which is good for 10th in the conference.
Franklin paces the Bearcats in rebounding at 8.3 RPG, while Nolan Gerling is next at 6.2 RPG. Kyle Yates tops all McKendree players in two different statistical categories with 76 assists and 27 steals. Despite averaging just under 10 minutes of playing time per contest, Joel Atabo has blocked a team-leading 13 shots for the Bearcats.
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