The University of Illinois Springfield women's basketball team used its defense to record a 60-48 win over Missouri-St. Louis on Thursday night at TRAC in Springfield, Ill.
 
The Prairie Stars held Missouri-St. Louis to just 27.0 percent shooting from the field, and 27.3 percent shooting from three-point range. UIS also had a big advantage on the boards by a 46-37 margin.
 
UIS's defense was especially strong in the first 20 minutes, when it held the Tritons to just 18.2 percent shooting from the field. The Prairie Stars led by one after one quarter. Early in the second quarter, UIS went on a 7-0 run to take the lead for good. The half ended when Tehya Fortune hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give UIS a 26-17 advantage.
 
In the second half, Lauren Ladowski helped seal the victory for UIS. She scored all of her 19 points in the half. Two of her free throws midway through the third quarter gave UIS a 15-point lead at 34-19, and the Prairie Stars led by at least seven the rest of the way.
 
Ladowski made 14-of-18 from the free-throw line, and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. The 14 made free throws set a new school record for a single-game. She also had a team-high four assists and a +13 plus/minus. Fortune finished with 11 points, and Malae Jackson had eight of the team's 18 points off the bench. Katelyn Rosner had two blocks and nine rebounds. Makenna Fee had nine rebounds, and Jasmine Sangster pulled down eight boards. Sangster also had double-figures with a +11 plus/minus.
 
UIS improves to 7-10 on the season and 2-7 in GLVC play. The Prairie Stars host Lindenwood on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.​