The University of Illinois Springfield men's basketball team needed overtime on Monday at TRAC, but it was still able to earn a victory over Maryville. The Prairie Stars tied their NCAA era record with its seventh consecutive win in the 79-71 victory.
 
UIS got off to a slow start, and trailed 23-15 with 4:15 left in the first half. A 15-0 run though turned the tables and gave the team a 30-23 halftime advantage. The Prairie Stars retained that lead for most of the second half. They led 60-53 with 7:45 remaining. It was Maryville's turn though to have a big run, with 11 unanswered points to give Maryville a four-point lead in the final minutes.
 
The Prairie Stars got within one with 61 seconds on a Chris Hamil three-pointer. Maryville scored in the paint on its next possession, but Chase Robinson hit a three with 14 seconds remaining to force overtime.
 
In the extra period, Maryville grabbed a 71-69 lead midway through, but UIS did not allow another point. The clinching play came with under a minute left. The Prairie Stars went ahead 74-71 on a layup by Robinson. Trey Marble then stole the inbounds pass and scored to make it a two-possession game. UIS forced two more missed three-pointers, and added three more points for the eight-point victory.
 
Illinois Springfield shot 50 percent for the game, including 71.4 percent in overtime. UIS made 10 three-pointers and shot nearly 40 percent from behind the arc. Maryville shot just 42.4 percent for the game, including 27.3 percent from three-point range.
 
Robinson finished with a career-high 31 points, his fourth 30-point game of his career. He is just the second player in UIS history with more than three 30-point contests. Robinson made 12-of-22 from the field, including four three-pointers. Robinson also had his first career double-double after having 10 rebounds. He also led or tied for the team-high with two assists, one block, and three steals.
 
Hamil finished with 15 points, and Jack Weber had 13 points and eight rebounds. Jesus Castillo led the team with a career-high 12 rebounds. Rice tied Robinson with two assists, and had eight points on the night.
 
UIS improves to 9-6 overall and 4-3 in conference play. The Prairie Stars return to the court on Thursday night at Southern Indiana.
 
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