The University of Illinois Springfield men's basketball team opened up its five-game road trip on a down note. The Prairie Stars fell to Rockhurst by a 79-70 score on Thursday night in Kansas City, Mo.
 
The Prairie Stars jumped out to an early 15-8 lead after a 9-0 run, and they held that lead until late in the first half. UIS did not score for the final 2:28 of the period though, and Rockhurst scored the final five points of the half for a 37-33 lead at the break.
 
UIS's scoring drought continued for the first 3:53 of the second half. That combined with Rockhurst hitting three three-pointers and scoring the first ten points of the half, put the Prairie Stars in a hole that they could not overcome.
 
UIS finished the game shooting 41.3 percent from the field, and made nine-of-26 from three-pointer range. Rockhurst made over 50 percent of its shots, and was 11-of-25 from beyond the arc. The Hawks had 29 bench points, compared to eight for the Prairie Stars.
 
Individually for UIS, Peyton Allen, Aundrae Williams, and Gilwan Nelson had 50 of the team's points. Allen and Williams each had 17, while Nelson finished with 16. Allen also led the team with eight rebounds, and Williams led the team with four assists and three steals.
 
UIS is now 13-9 on the season and 6-6 in GLVC play. The Prairie Stars will continue their road trip on Saturday with a 3 p.m. game at William Jewell.