The University of Illinois Springfield women's basketball team faced a tough task on Tuesday evening when it went on the road and faced a Kentucky Wesleyan squad fresh off a victory over the No. 2 team in the country. The Prairie Stars were up to the challenge though with a last-minute victory over the Panthers by a 66-63 score.
 
The contest went back-and-forth as the two teams alternated getting hot from the field. Both teams were cold in the first quarter as UIS led 9-6 after one. Kentucky Wesleyan missed just five shots in the second quarter, and it grabbed a 26-21 halftime lead.
 
In the third quarter, UIS got hot by shooting 73.3 percent from the field for the quarter. It led by as many as nine points, and took a 47-40 lead into the final quarter.
 
The Panthers took over momentum in the fourth quarter, going on a 14-3 run over the first part of the period. UIS's defense and a balance offense late helped the Prairie Stars get the win. Malea Jackson knotted the game at 60 with 1:17 remaining, and she grabbed a defensive rebound after UIS forced a miss on the other end. With 39 seconds left, Olivia Stephens received a pass from Liz Uhl and converted a short jumper to put UIS up 62-20.
 
The Prairie Stars forced another tough shot and miss with 11 seconds left, and Stephens collected the rebound. Lauren Ladowski and Stephens then combined to go four-for-four from the free-throw line to clinch the victory.
 
UIS held Kentucky Wesleyan under 50 percent shooting for the game, including just five-of-26 from three-point range. The Panthers also turned the ball over 19 times. The Prairie Stars held the team's No. 2 scorer to just seven points, 11.5 below her season average.
 
Offensively, the Prairie Stars shot 48.1 percent from the field, including 57.1 percent in the second half. UIS also hit four of its six three-point attempts in the final 20 minutes.
 
Ladowski had a team-high 20 points, including making seven-of-11 from the field. She also led the team with six rebounds and three assists. Mitchell also had three assists and scored 10 points. Stephens and Jackson both finished with nine points, and Ally Gietzel and Uhl had eight apiece. Uhl had a team-high +13 plus/minus, and Jackson was second with a +8 mark.
 
UIS has now started the season 3-0 for the third time in the last five years. The Prairie Stars will look for their first 4-0 start on Thursday night in their home opener against Lincoln.