The University of Illinois Springfield men's basketball team outscored last year's GLVC regular season champions in the second half, but it wasn't enough for a comeback win. The Prairie Stars fell to Lewis in the conference opener by a 71-64 score.
 
The two teams were tied at 13 with 12:24 left in the first half, when Lewis went on a 26-6 run to take a 20-point lead. The Prairie Stars went on a large run late in the half, but still trailed 44-34 at halftime.
 
UIS continued to cut into the lead in the second half, getting within 58-53 with 9:27 left. Lewis put the game out of reach with a 7-0 run over the next 4 ½ minutes, capped by a three-pointer that made the score 66-53 with 4:58 remaining.
 
UIS shot 36.7 percent from the field in the game, compared to Lewis who shot 48.1 percent. Both teams made 11 three-pointers, but the Prairie Stars attempted 13 more shots.
 
Chase Robinson led UIS with 15 points, followed by Jesus Castillo with 13 and Keymonta Johnson with 10. Matt Wendling just missed double-figure points with nine, and Alonso Meana had eight. Johnson led the team with six rebounds, and Castillo and Meana each had three assists.
 
UIS falls to 5-2 on the season. The Prairie Stars will be in action again on Saturday at Oakland City.