The University of Illinois Springfield men's basketball team will continue their season on the road to begin their conference schedule. The Prairie Stars travel to Maryville on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. matchup, and Missouri S&T on Saturday for a 3:00 p.m. tip-off.
UIS (4-3)
The Prairie Stars competed in the DoubleTree Thanksgiving Classic last week, where they came away with two deserved victories.
On Tuesday against Missouri Southern, the Prairie Stars defeated the Lions behind a strong second-half performance. UIS led by as many as 19 points in the second period to secure the win. Jacob Hanna had a career day, tallying 21 points along with 10 rebounds in the win. Jack Weber had 19 points on the day, going 9 for 11 from the field. Both Jordan Rice and Max Kunnert recorded 18 points. UIS shot 52.4% (33-63) from the field, which includes 37.9% (11-29) from three-point range. The Prairie Stars also went 19 for 20 from the free-throw line. The UIS defense held MSSU to 47.7% (31-65) from the field.
Wednesday's game came against Division III opponent Fontbonne, in which UIS won handily, 81-49. UIS held a healthy lead throughout the game, including a 41-25 advantage at half-time. The largest lead of the game was 37 points with less than three minutes left on the clock. Eleven different Prairie Stars recorded points, as Khalil Ross led the team with 15. Max Kunnert was second in scoring with 13 points. UIS shot 36.8% (25-68) from the field, and 27.8% (10-36) from three. The UIS defense held the Griffins to 34.5% (19-55) from the field. The defense forced 17 turnovers and scored 19 points off of those turnovers.
Maryville (3-1)
The Saints had three games last week, on Tuesday against Harding, Wednesday against Parkside, and Saturday against Missouri Valley College.
Tuesday's game against Harding saw the Saints win 87-71, a game in which they never trailed. The Saints scored 57 first-half points behind 63.89% (23-36) shooting from the field, including 56.25% (9-16) from three. Trey Redd and Luke Williams both had 17 points for Maryville, the leading scorers of the game. Maryville finished the game shooting 57.1% (36-63) from the field. The bench also totaled 37 points, which included 15 from Ari Jackson.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Saints battled the Rangers of Parkside. In a defensive oriented first-half, Maryville found themselves trailing 19-25 at the intermission. The second-half included more back and forth action as the Saints pulled the game within 2 points with less than four minutes left. Parkside kept the Saints at bay and left St. Louis with a 65-60 victory. Maryville was led by Jaeden Smith with 12 points, which all game from behind the arc. Luke Williams also chipped in with 11 points. Maryville shot an even 50% (23-46) from the field, and 38.1% (8-21) from three-point range.
On Saturday the Saints faced off against NAIA opponent Missouri Valley College, where the Saints rolled to a 76-56 victory. Luke Williams once again led the Saints in scoring with 17 points. Colin Schuler added 15 points of his own, on 6 for 7 shooting. Dewayne Vass also chipped in with 12 points. The Saints shot 51.7% (30-58) from the field, but only 29.2% (7-24) from three. Maryville's defense forced 23 turnovers, and scored 27 points from those turnovers.
Missouri S&T (3-1)
The Miners had two games last week in which they went 1-1.
Tuesday saw the Miners line up against Manhattan Christian College. S&T won handily, 94-54, in which the Miners dominated both halves. Ikenna Okeke led the way for the Miners with 23 points and 13 rebounds, while shooting 9 for 12 from the field. Julien Smith (14) and Cameron Stovall (10) also finished with double-digit points. The Miners shot 48.6% (36-74) from the field and 33.3% (10-30) from three-point range.
On Saturday, S&T traveled to face a talented Central Missouri squad. The Miners suffered their first defeat of the season, falling 62-87. In the second-half the Miners cut the lead to nine, but an 11-0 run from the Mules sealed their fate. The Miners had four players in double figures, led by Micah Johnson and Lovell Williams with 11 points apiece while Kaden Froebe and Cameron Stovall each finished with 10. S&T shot 41.1% (23-56) for the game, but made only 32% (8-25) of its shots after the intermission.
How to Watch
Every conference game this year will be streamed on GLVCSN under a paywall. $75 covers every women's basketball game in the league, and $10 covers a single-game. You are able to follow the live stats of each game through the UIS MBB schedule.
Up Next
The Prairie Stars return home for two more GLVC matchups against McKendree (12/7) and UMSL (12/9).
