The University of Illinois Springfield women's basketball team hung on for a victory in its season opener on Friday afternoon in Lebanon, Ill. The Prairie Stars won their sixth straight season open by defeating Purdue Northwest by a score of 61-57.
 
UIS led for over 80 percent of the game, but couldn't pull away until finally sealing the game with two free throws with six seconds remaining. The Prairie Stars won the game in the paint, outrebounding Purdue Northwest by a 44-32 margin, and having 10 more points in the paint and nine extra second-chance points.
 
After a defensive first half, UIS led 27-24 at halftime, and then extended that lead to 39-35 after 30 minutes of play.
 
UIS scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to have its largest lead of the game, but the Pride fought back and tied the game at 45 with 6:35 remaining. Lauren Ladowski took over the game after that. She got to the rim on the next possession and made her layup, and then scored nine more points in the final six minutes.
 
Ladowski's biggest play came with UIS up 59-57 with under 10 seconds left. She tiptoed with the ball around the half-court line to prevent a back-court violation, and then passed to Ally Gietzel. Gietzel was fouled with six seconds left and made both shots to clinch the win.
 
Ladowski finished with 21 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. She was six-of-13 from the field and nine-of-12 from the free-throw line. Jayln Harris had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, both career-highs for her UIS career. Gietzel collected nine points, and Malea Jackson and Ellie Mitchell both had six. Mitchell had team-highs with four assists and three steals.
 
UIS will be in action again on Saturday in Lebanon, Ill. when it takes on Tiffin at 11 a.m.