The University of Illinois Springfield women's basketball team will continue their season at the Florida Southern Terrace Hotel Classic in Lakeland, Florida. The Prairie Stars take on host institution Florida Southern on Friday at 2:00 p.m. (1:00 p.m. CT) and Eckerd on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. (11:00 a.m. CT).
UIS (5-4)
The Prairie Stars will try to return to the win column this weekend after dropping two conference contests at home last weekend.
On Thursday night in Springfield UIS faced off against McKendree, one of the top teams in the GLVC. Both teams started with an offensive mindset, with the Bearcats taking a 49-38 lead into the halftime intermission. The Prairie Stars cut into the lead in the second half with full-court pressure which forced turnovers. UIS tied the game with 2:13 on the clock after an eight-point run of four layups. McKendree went on a 7-0 run with 1:30 left in the game to take command and win 90-84. Four Prairie Stars finished with double-digit points, and were led by Jessenia Lawson with 21. Liz Uhl scored 16, Michaela Gibbons added 14, and Saharra Murphy contributed 11. UIS shot 37-of-71 (52.1%) from the field, compared to McKendree's 33-for-54 (61.1%). McKendree attempted 23 foul shots, making 20, compared to 6 attempts and 4 makes for the Prairie Stars. The Bearcats edged the Stars in rebounds, 30-28.
On Saturday the Stars played the UMSL Tritons in another tough GLVC matchup. This was a different type of game from Thursday's contest, as UIS led 33-29 at halftime in a defensive battle. UMSL took control of the game in the third quarter by shooting 7-for-11 from the field and took the lead for good with 7:22 left in the third quarter. The Tritons kept the Prairie Stars at a safe distance in the final frame, winning the game 78-60. Jessenia Lawson led the way for the Prairie Stars with 13 points and 4 rebounds. UMSL outrebounded UIS 32-21. UIS shot 21-for-57 (36.8%) from the field, compared to UMSL's 25-of-56 (44.6%) from the field.
Florida Southern (5-3) | Eckerd (4-4)
The Mocs have lost their last three games, all being conference games.
The Tritons beat Florida Southern last Saturday, but are currently 1-2 in conference with two close losses.
Last Saturday Florida Southern faced off against Eckerd in a Sunshine State battle. A huge 24-8 Eckerd run sent the Tritons into the intermission with a 39-23 lead. Eckerd pushed the lead to as much as 23 points in the third quarter as the quarter ended with the Tritons up 58-37. Florida Southern tried to cut the lead, but Eckerd kept the Mocs at a safe distance the whole time, winning the game 71-52. Florida Southern only shot 12-for-57 (21.1%) from the field while Eckerd shot 26-for-59 (44.1%) from the field. Eckerd had 33 points off the bench, with 15 coming from Chance Bucher and 10 from Jessie Ford. Hannah Wentworth also had 13 points for the Tritons. Florida Southern only had two players with double-digit points, Marissa Jenike (14) and Arriyana Bracero (10).
How to Watch
You are able to watch every game through Florida Southern's streaming service here. You are also able to follow live stats for each game here.
Up Next
The Prairie Stars return for their next two games, on New Years Eve against Lake Superior State, and against nationally-ranked Drury on January 3.
