The University of Illinois Springfield men's basketball team could not slow down the McKendree Bearcats in the second half on Saturday afternoon, as the Prairie Stars fell to the Bearcats by a 76-65 score in Lebanon, Ill.
 
UIS went on a 17-5 run in the first half to grab a 31-20 lead with 2:24 left in the period. McKendree took momentum into halftime though after scoring the final six points before the break.
 
The Bearcats stayed hot in the second half, going on a 21-3 run at one point for a 51-42 lead. The back-and-forth second half then saw the Prairie Stars score 10 straight to retake the lead at 52-51 at the midpoint of the final 20 minutes. The final run though came from the Bearcats, who outscored UIS 25-13 for the rest of the game.
 
McKendree shot 55.2 percent from the field in the second half, including four-of-seven three-pointers.  UIS shot 43.4 percent for the game, slightly lower than the Bearcats, and McKendree also made six more free throws. UIS outscored the Bearcats 14-10 in points in the paint in the first half, but McKendree had a 22-12 advantage for the second half.
 
Chase Robinson led UIS with 18 points, and he tied a career-high with seven rebounds. Alonso Meana was also in double-figures with 12 points, and he had a team-high five assists. Aundrae Williams and Matt Wendling both finished with nine points. Keymonta Johnson led the team with 11 rebounds, and Kaj Days had the team's only block. Johnson had a team-high +9 plus/minus while he was on the court, and Wendling had a +4 mark.
 
UIS falls to 14-12 overall and 7-11 in GLVC play. The Prairie Stars will head to Lindenwood on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. game.