The University of Illinois Springfield women's basketball team hit the 80-point mark against No. 25 Southern Indiana on Thursday night in Evansville, Ind. It wasn't enough though as the Screaming Eagles won the shootout by an 88-80 score.
 
UIS won the first two quarters and had a 47-41 lead at halftime. The Prairie Stars shot 60 percent in the half, while holding the Screaming Eagles to 40 percent shooting. Malea Jackson made four three-pointers in just the second quarter to help the Prairie Stars open up a 13-point lead at one point.
 
In the second half, the shooting numbers reversed, and Southern Indiana also turned up its pressure on defense. The Screaming Eagles grabbed a three-point lead at the end of the third quarter. UIS kept it close against the nationally-ranked home team until the final minutes. It trailed just 84-80 with two minutes left, but Southern Indiana scored the final four points of the game after that.
 
UIS finished the game shooting 54.4 percent from the field, and it made seven-of-13 three-pointers. Southern Indiana made 49.3 percent of its shot, and made seven-of-22 three-pointers. UIS had four more turnovers, and Southern Indiana took better advantage of the turnovers with a 32-15 edge in points off turnovers.
 
Jackson finished with a career-high 27 points, and tied a career-best with eight rebounds. She was 10-of-17 from the field, including five-of-seven from behind the arc. Ellie Mitchell collected a career-high nine assists, and had four steals. Lauren Ladowski had 20 points and stole a team-high five balls. Ally Gietzel and Olivia Travis were both in double-figure scoring, and both made four-of-five from the field.
 
UIS falls to 8-6 overall and 3-5 in GLVC play. The Prairie Stars return to action on Saturday at McKendree.