The University of Illinois Springfield men's basketball team will continue their season at the Midwest Region Crossover this weekend in Owensboro, Kentucky. The Prairie Stars face host institution Kentucky Wesleyan on Friday at 7 p.m. and Wisconsin-Parkside on Saturday at 4:45 p.m.
UIS (0-2)
Last weekend the Prairie Stars traveled to Lubbock, Texas to participate in the Division II CCA Tip-Off Classic against two nationally-ranked opponents.
Friday's game was against #7 West Texas A&M, where the Buffs continued on their success from last year. The Buffs shot 48% from the field in the first half and went into the intermission with a 14 point lead. The second period was much closer, as UIS shot over 53% from the field. In the end, West Texas A&M came away with an 88-73 victory. Jordan Rice led UIS with 27 points, while shooting 4-5 from three. Jack Weber finished with 14, Jacob Hanna had 11, and Max Kunnert chipped in with 10.
On Saturday the Prairie Stars matched up against #6 Lincoln Memorial. Both squads were searching for their first win of the season as both lost on Friday night. The first half was back-and-forth the whole way, as UIS took their first lead of the game with 3:20 left in the half. The Prairie Stars went into the intermission with a 44-41 lead. LMU flipped the switch in the second half, as the Railsplitters shot over 58% from the field to pull away from the Stars. A quick 5-point run at the start of the second half put LMU up for good the rest of the way. The Prairie Stars were led by Jordan Rice again who had 22 points. Jayden Johnson had 17 points off the bench from 5-8 three-point shooting. As a team, UIS shot 12-24 from three-point range.
Kentucky Wesleyan
The game against UIS will be Kentucky Wesleyan's first of the year. The Panthers were picked to finish 8th in this year's GMAC Preseason Poll. In an exhibition game this season, the Panthers beat Division I opponent, Louisville, 71-68 at Louisville.
Parkside
This is also one of the first games of the year for Parkside. The Rangers start their season on Friday night against another GLVC foe in Indianapolis at 4:45 p.m. The Rangers were picked to finish 4th in the GLIAC Preseason Poll, a year after winning the GLIAC Regular Season Title.
How to View/Tickets
Every match will be streamed on the Great Midwest Digital Network. You can follow the action here live. If you will be attending the games in person, you can purchase tickets here. Parking is free in the big lot around the Owensboro Sportscenter.
Up Next
The Prairie Stars have their first game at home on November 15 against Judson University before traveling to Springfield, Missouri for the DoubleTree Thanksgiving Classic on November 21 and 22.
