SPRINGFIELD, IL --- The Prairie Stars (9-17, 3-15) ended their season on a high-note, beating McKendree (10-18, 1-17) by a score of 62-45 on senior night. Syerra Cunningham and Caroline Kelty put an exclamation point on their careers at Illinois Springfield, as they were the two leading scorers for the Prairie Stars with 14 and 13 points, respectively.  

In a very competitive first half, the two teams traded leads in the first quarter, each going up by as much as three. McKendree ended the quarter on a 4-0 run to take a 14-11 lead at the break.

At the 5:47 mark in the second quarter, McKendree extended their lead to seven but a three from Tehya Fortune and steal and layup from Shelbi Patterson cut the deficit to just two in less than a minute. This began an 8-0 run for UIS, as they took a 21-20 lead with 2:44 remaining. The Prairie Stars ended the half on a 6-0 run, ending with a layup from Kelty and two free throws from Destiny Ramsey to take a 27-23 lead.

UIS extended their lead in the third to as much as 13 as Fortune hit another three with less than a minute to play. The Prairie Star defense was stifling all night, especially in the second half, surrendering just 45 points on the night and holding the Bearcats to a 32.7 percent mark from the field.

Illinois Springfield used a 17-2 run in the final quarter to take a 24-point lead with under two minutes. This prompted head coach Mark Kost to give his seniors their due, and take them out to give them the recognition they deserved.

Cunningham --- the all-time rebounding leader in UIS history --- ended the night with 14 points and 11 rebounds, as she tallied her 14^th double-double of the season. Kelty filled the stat sheet with 13 points, six rebounds and six assists, which tied her career-high.

Patterson added 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals while Fortune was the fourth UIS starter to reach double-figures with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting.

The Prairie Stars end the 2016-17 season with a record of 9-17, 3-15. This puts them one-game ahead of their finish last season and gives them their first season sweep of McKendree in program history.