The University of Illinois Springfield men's basketball team picked up its second win of the season over a nationally-ranked program on Thursday night with a 77-75 win over No. 8 Bellarmine. Jesus Castillo hit a last second three-pointer for the victory over the Knights.
 
Bellarmine led in the contest for over 34 minutes, but UIS kept fighting back to get the win. The Knights had a 38-31 halftime advantage, but a last second three-pointer by Keymonta Johnson would give the Prairie Stars some momentum at the break.
 
Bellarmine led 55-45 with 11:15 remaining in the game, when UIS went on an 11-0 run to take the lead with 7:34 left. The Knights quickly regained control after hitting three-pointers on three straight possessions, and they would lead 67-58 with 5:14 remaining.
 
The back-and-forth second half then saw UIS go on a 16-2 run, capped off by a dunk by Daniel Soetan with 1:21 remaining that gave the Prairie Stars a 74-69 lead. Bellarmine answered again, getting fouled on a three-pointer and making all three shots, and then making a three-pointer with 10 seconds left.
 
On UIS's final play, Soetan brought the ball down and passed it Castillo on the right wing. Castillo faked a three to get his defender off balance. He then dribbled once left and drained a three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left. The final tick then saw Kaj Days knock away Bellarmine's desperation full-court pass.
 
The two teams combined for 29 three-pointers, with UIS making 15-of-37 and Bellarmine connecting on 14-of-31. Both squads shot over 50 percent from the field, had 27 rebounds, and just 10 turnovers in the statistically even ballgame.
 
UIS scored 46 points in the second half, the most Bellarmine has given up in a half this season. The Prairie Stars shot 58.1 percent from the field, and made 10-of-19 three-pointers in the final 20 minutes. The 77 points were the third-most in a game that the No. 5 scoring defense in NCAA Division II has given up this year.
 
Soetan finished with a team-high 24 points and six rebounds, and he had five assists and two steals. Castillo made six-of-10 three-pointers, and had 18 points and six boards. Chase Robinson finished with 14 points, and had a team-high +12 plus/minus. Keymonta Johnson led the team with six assists, and was in double-figures with 12 points. Days had a +9 plus/minus in nearly 25 minutes of play.
 
UIS improves to 11-8 overall and 4-7 in the GLVC. The Prairie Stars host another nationally-ranked team on Saturday when No. 22 Indianapolis comes to TRAC.