In a game that didn't even exist three days ago, the University of Illinois Springfield women's basketball team picked up one of its top victories in program history. The Prairie Stars travelled to Bradley and came home with a 79-71 win over a participant in last year's NCAA Division I Tournament.
 
After its weekend contest against Northern Michigan was cancelled, UIS scheduled the last-minute game against last year's Missouri Valley Conference tournament champions. The revised schedule provided the Prairie Stars a rare non-exhibition game against a NCAA Division I opponent.
 
Bradley jumped out to an early 11-6 lead, but UIS answered with a 9-0 run, and it never trailed again. After leading 22-16 after one quarter, the Prairie Stars extended their lead to as much as 13 in the second, and they led 41-29 at halftime.
 
In the third quarter, Bradley cut that lead down to four on two occasions, but a late run in the quarter helped UIS maintain a 62-51 advantage after 30 minutes.
 
In the final period, UIS was able to answer every run that the Braves tried to make. With UIS up 65-60, Lauren Ladowski hit a big three-pointer with 5:29 remaining to put the team back up eight. Bradley had one more run with seven straight points to get within three with 51 seconds left. Ladowski was fouled on the in-bounds pass, and she sank both free throws to make it a two-possession game again. After that, Bradley missed three field goals and two free throws, and UIS made three more free throws to seal the win.
 
UIS's defense held Bradley under 40 percent shooting for the game, including just two-of-16 from three-point range. The Prairie Stars also had three more rebounds and three fewer turnovers. Offensively, UIS shot 40 percent, and it went to the free-throw line 28 times, which led to 22 points.
 
Ladowski was one of four players in double-figure points with 19. She made six-of-12 from the field, and had a team-high three steals. Ally Gietzel had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Malea Jackson also had 16 points, and Ellie Mitchell collected 11.
 
UIS, which was missing two starters and one other regular off the bench, received some valuable minutes from its bench. Carson Vance had seven points, and led the team with a +14 plus/minus. Frankie Kokkines was second with a +11 mark, and Kourtland Tyus finished with a +8 plus/minus. That trio combined to play over 45 minutes, and had 13 points and nine rebounds.
 
UIS improves to 7-2 overall on the year. The Prairie Stars return to GLVC play on Jan. 2 with a contest at Lewis.