SPRINGFIELD, IL – The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) men's basketball team picked up the program's first-ever win over the University of Indianapolis with a 64-61 victory during Saturday's Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) matchup.
 
UIS (13-7, 5-5) came into Saturday's contest looking to rebound from Thursday's 80-60 loss to Drury University (14-4, 7-3). The Panthers are ranked No. 9 in the latest Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) Midwest Region poll. Drury currently leads the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage with a 44.8-percent (218-of-487) shooting clip on the season. The Panthers overwhelmed the Prairie Stars from the perimeter, knocking down 11-of-21 (52.4 percent) attempts. Looking to shake things up and snap the three-losing streak, UIS coach Bill Walker made the decision to start Saturday's game with four different starters from the previous game.
 
"I was disappointed in our effort against Drury and so was the team," Bill Walker said. "Drury is a good team, but I felt like we had to do something. I don't know what the future holds in terms of lineups, but I know our guys gave it all they had."
 
In terms of momentum, Indianapolis (12-7, 6-5) entered Saturday's game in an opposite situation of UIS. The Greyhounds were fresh off a 76-68 upset over Bellarmine University (18-2, 9-2), which is ranked No. 5 in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) NCAA Division II poll. Very similar to Drury, Indianapolis entered Saturday ranked fourth in the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage on 156-of-360 (43.3 percent) shooting.
 
UIS came looking for its first win over Indianapolis. The Prairie Stars entered the game with an 0-8 record all-time against the Greyhounds.
 
Eddie Longmeyer came off the bench to lead the Prairie Stars with 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. The 6-foot-3 senior guard from St. Louis, MO converted 9-of-14 (64.3 percent) attempts from the field. With season averages of 17.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals, Longmeyer will be in the fight for a First Team All-GLVC selection.
 
"There is a lot of good players in this league and he's one of them."
 
Collin Stallworth contributed 13 points and nine rebounds.
 
"Collin was phenomenal. He's so versatile as a player."
 
Aundrae Williams tallied seven points. Stallworth is freshman out of Rochester High School and Williams is a freshman from Lanphier High School in Springfield. Both high schools are members of the Central State-Nine (CS9) Conference, formerly known as the Central State-Eight (CS8) Conference. Stallworth and Williams played vital roles in the first collegiate start of their careers.
 
"I'd like to give a shout out to the CS8 because Collin and Aundrae as freshmen helped get UIS its first-ever win against Indianapolis."
 
Logan Gonce cashed in 10 points. CJ Payawal scored five points in his first career collegiate start. Brandon Van Sant and Vince Walker turned in three points apiece while Gilwan Nelson rounded out the UIS scoring effort with one point.
 
Having the ability to mix up the lineups speaks to the depth of the UIS roster.
 
"This is a luxury I didn't have my last few years here. We have enough depth where I can make a move like that and it paid off."
 
CJ Hardaway Jr. paced the Greyhounds with 12 points. Tate Hall provided 11 points, five rebounds and four steals. Ajay Lawton turned in 10 points. Devin Dixon collected three steals.
 
The Prairie Stars outrebounded the Greyhounds by a 37-28 margin. UIS held an 8-7 advantage over Indianapolis on second-chance points.
 
The Prairie Stars drained 22-of-51 (43.1 percent) shots from the field and 9-of-27 (33.3 percent) attempts from behind the arc. Indianapolis made 20-of-50 (40 percent) shots from the floor and 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) attempts from downtown.
 
The Greyhounds sank 15-of-23 (65.2 percent) attempts from the free-throw line while the Prairie Stars hit 11-of-16 (68.8 percent) shots from the charity stripe.
 
UIS outscored Indianapolis 17-13 off turnovers despite having five more turnovers. The Prairie Stars committed 17 turnovers while the Greyhounds turned the ball over 12 times.
 
Indianapolis held a 26-18 advantage over UIS in points in the paint.
 
The Greyhounds started with a 7-6 lead with 16 minutes, 14 seconds left in the first half. UIS sparked a 9-0 run as Stallworth, Gonce and Payawal each knocked down a 3-pointer.
 
Trailing 15-24 with 7:49 left in the half, the Greyhounds scored seven points in a row. The Prairie Stars steadily built a 35-24 lead. Indianapolis hit a 3-pointer before the end of the half to cut the UIS lead to 35-27.
 
During the second half, the Greyhounds trimmed the lead to 37-33 with the help of a couple of 3-pointers from Trevor Lakes. The Prairie Stars started to pull away with a 53-41 advantage with 10:35 left in the contest. Longmeyer provided the first 10 points for UIS during the 16-4 run.
 
The Greyhounds responded with a 15-4 run of their own. Indianapolis scored the final six points of the run as UIS held onto a 57-56 lead with 4:50 remaining. After Stallworth split a pair of free throws, Hall made a layup to tie the game at 58-all. Gonce took it the basket on the following possession to regain a 60-58 lead for UIS.
 
Indianapolis could not score on the next possession. As UIS missed its next basket, Stallworth came up with a hard-fought offensive rebound and was able to find the free-throw line. Stallworth made both shots to put the Prairie Stars up 62-58 with 1:46 remaining.
 
Hall went to the charity stripe on the next possession and made a free throw. The Prairie Stars missed a 3-pointer to give Indianapolis the ball back. Down by three points, the Greyhounds were fouled to go to the line for two shots; Hardaway Jr. made both freebies.
 
Trailing UIS 62-61, Indianapolis needed to foul. Williams went to the line for the one-and-one and made both free throws to give UIS a 64-61 lead.
 
Needing a 3-pointer to tie the game, Ajay Lawson tried to draw a foul on his shot. UIS however gave Lawson too much space for Lawson to draw any contact, resulting Lawson into airmailing his shot.
 
On the following possession, the Prairie Stars were sent to the line for another one-and-one situation. UIS missed the front end, giving Indianapolis one final possession. Hall's attempt to tie the game did not make it in the bucket, capping off a victory for the Prairie Stars.
 
"Teams go through hills and valleys. We were in a valley and hopefully this is an emergence for us."
 
UIS hits the road for two conference games next week. The Prairie Stars battle the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (7-13, 5-5) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Somers, WI. UIS then challenges No. 5 Bellarmine on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT in Louisville, KY. Bellarmine holds a 10-0 all-time record against UIS. The No. 5 Knights aim to continue their pursuit for a second consecutive NCAA Division II Final Four appearance while maintaining their 52-game home winning streak dating back to Dec. 20, 2014.
 
"They won't be easy, but I like my team. I can't wait to get up there and try."