ST. LOUIS, MO – Maryville University repelled the offense of the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) men's basketball team, securing a 75-58 victory during Saturday's Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) matchup.
 
The Saints (15-3, 7-2) jumped out to a 40-20 lead over the Prairie Stars (12-6, 4-4) in the first half. During the first half, Maryville knocked down 14-of-29 (48.3 percent) shots from the field while UIS hit just 8-of-33 (24.2 percent) attempts from the floor.
 
"We came out ready to play from an effort standpoint, but cold shooting made it very tough for us," UIS coach Bill Walker said. "You can't fall behind one of the most talented teams in the league by that much and expect to come back often."
 
During the second half, Maryville drained 13-of-22 (59.1 percent) shots from the floor while UIS sank 14-of-29 (48.3 percent) attempts from the field. The Prairie Stars outscored Maryville 38-35 in the second half.
 
"I was proud of how our team played in the second half and made it a competitive game."
 
Gilwan Nelson led the Prairie Stars with 13 points. Logan Gonce added 11 points. Eddie Longmeyer tallied 10 points and four assists. Bahari Amaya contributed eight points. Zach Steinberg and Brandon Van Sant netted six points apiece. Aundrae Williams rounded out the UIS scoring effort with four points. Lijah Donnelly pulled down a team-high six rebounds.
 
Nolan Berry posted a game-highs 22 points and 12 rebounds for Maryville. Casey Teson turned in 12 points. Robin Thompson also recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Jimmy Barton dished out six assists.
 
Maryville knocked down 27-of-51 (52.9 percent) shots from the field and 4-of-15 (26.7 percent) attempts from 3-point range. UIS drained 22-of-62 (35.5 percent) attempts from the floor and 9-of-26 (34.6 percent) from behind the arc.
 
The Saints found the free-throw line 23 times and hit 17 (73.9 percent) of their attempts. UIS made 5-of-8 (62.5 percent) shots from the charity stripe.
The Saints powered to a 42-26 advantage on the boards as well as a 10-0 advantage on second-chance points.
 
Maryville outscored UIS 14-2 on fast-break points.
 
The Prairie Stars are scheduled for two GLVC matchups next week. UIS entertains Drury University (12-4, 5-3) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in TRAC. The Prairie Stars then encounter the University of Indianapolis (11-6, 5-4) on Saturday at 3 p.m. in TRAC.