The University of Illinois Springfield men's basketball team couldn't snap the longest active NCAA Division II winning streak on Wednesday evening in Maryville, Mo. The No. 1 Northwest Missouri Bearcats won their 45th straight game with a 91-56 victory over UIS.
 
The Bearcats came out hot, jumping out to a 17-4 lead in the first 6 ½ minutes of the game.  Northwest Missouri led by as many as 20 in the half, and took a 46-32 lead at halftime. UIS got within 12 two minutes into the second half, but Northwest Missouri went on a 9-0 run and 17-0 run to put the game away by the ten-minute mark of the final half.
 
While UIS has been winning beyond the three-point line, that area of the game cost them on Wednesday. Northwest Missouri made 17 three-pointers and shot 44.7 percent, while UIS made three and shot 13.6 percent. The Bearcats had six more rebounds and six fewer turnovers in the game.
 
Daniel Soetan and Chase Robinson each had a team-high 16 points. Soetan also led the team with eight rebounds, two assists, one block, and two steals. Robinson finished the game by shooting seven-of-eight from the free-throw line. Matt Wendling was the third Prairie Stars player in double-figures with 10 points.
 
The loss is the first of the season for UIS, ending a five-game winning streak that was its longest to start the season in the program's NCAA. The Prairie Stars will travel north on Friday for an exhibition game against Illinois State.