The University of Illinois Springfield men's basketball team will continue their season with two conference games at home this weekend. The Prairie Stars play McKendree on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., and Missouri - St. Louis on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.

UIS (6-3, 2-0)

The Prairie Stars are coming off of a two win weekend on the road to begin their conference season against Maryville and Missouri S&T. The Stars are currently on a five game winning streak.

On Thursday against Maryville, the Prairie Stars picked up their first conference win against a tough Saints team, 76-67. Maryville jumped out to an early 11-2 lead, but the game was tied with 10 minutes left in the first half. UIS held a 32-31 lead at halftime. A back-and-forth start to the second half when UIS grabbed the lead with 17 minutes left and held onto it for good. Jayden Johnson led the way for the Stars with a career night. Johnson had 18 points, going 6-for-11 from three point range. Jordan Rice (14), Jack Weber (11), and Khalil Ross (11) also finished with double-digit points. The Prairie Stars had 37 points off the bench, compared to Maryville's 7. UIS shot 29-for-57 (50.9%) from the field, including 7-for-23 (30.4%) from three. Maryville only shot 27-for-64 (42.2%) during the game, including 7-for-22 (31.8%) from three. The Prairie Stars also outrebounded the Saints 43-25.

On Saturday against Missouri S&T, the Prairie Stars completed the perfect weekend, winning a game in which they led the whole time, 83-75. UIS held a few big leads at different points of the game, but the scrappy Miners team was never fully out of it. With 3:23 left in the game, S&T hit a jumper in the paint to tie the game at 69. Over the next three minutes, UIS went on a 10-0 run to seal the victory for the Stars. UIS was led in scoring by Jordan Rice, who played the full 40 minutes. Jacob Hanna was close behind with 19 points and 9 rebounds on the day. Jack Weber and Evan Altman also both chipped in with 14 points each. UIS shot 33-for-58 (56.9%) from the field, including 6-for-14 (42.9%) from three. The UIS defense once again held an opponent to under 50% shooting. The Miners shot 29-for-63 (46.0%) from the field, including 6-for-17 (35.3%) from three. The Prairie Stars outrebounded the Miners 39-24. 

McKendree (5-1, 2-0)

The Bearcats are also entering the weekend 2-0 in GLVC play and on a five game win streak of their own. 

On Thursday night against Rockhurst, the Bearcats picked up a huge win in a tight contest throughout, 85-81. Rockhurst held a six point lead at the half, but hot shooting from McKendree in the second half sparked a comeback. Two separate scoring runs would trim the lead down until the Bearcats eventually took the lead for good with seven minutes to play. Milos Vicentic led all scoring with 30 on the day, as 21 came in the second half. Joey Niesman (15), Kevin Stein (13), and Hayden Meakes (10) also finished with double-digit points for the Bearcats. McKendree shot an impressive 31-for-52 (59.6%) from the field, including 9-for-17 (52.9%) from three point range. Rockhurst shot 28-for-70 (40.0%) from the field, with a 13-for-26 (50.0%) mark from three. 

On Saturday, the Bearcats faced off against William Jewell, a team receiving votes in the NABC Coaches Poll. The Bearcats led most of the way, taking the game 68-51. In the second half, WJC erased a 16-point deficit to take the lead, but McKendree would reclaim the lead with ten minutes left and not relinquish it. Caleb Zurliene (21), Milos Vicentic (20), Joey Niesman (15), and Carson Parker (10) combined for 66 of McKendree's 68 points. As a team, McKendree, who was leading Division II in field goal percentage, only missed 14 shots as they shot 29-for-43 (67.4%) from the field. WJC only shot 19-for-56 (33.9%) from the field, including 6-for-26 (23.1%) from three. 

UMSL (3-5, 1-1)

The Tritons enter the weekend 1-1 in GLVC play.

On Thursday night against William Jewell, the Tritons erased a second-half deficit to eventually win 73-69 in overtime. A wild final few minutes was capped as Troy Glover II got an offensive rebound from a missed free throw, and scored a putback to send the game into overtime. UMSL took control during the overtime period to earn their first conference win. The Tritons shot 32-for-63 (50.8%) from the field, including 3-for-13 (23.1%) from three. Four UMSL athletes finished the game with double-digit points; Matt Enright (16), Mayson Quartlebaum (15), Terrell Kabala (15), and Emanuel Prospere II (14). Quartlebaum also finished with a game-high 17 rebounds. WJC shot 22-for-58 (37.9%) from the field, including 10-for-28 (35.7%) from three.

On Saturday against Rockhurst, the Tritons ran out of steam in the second half and fell to the Hawks, 46-62. A nine point halftime lead for the Tritons was wiped away as Rockhurst came out of the break on fire. Rockhurst would take the lead with twelve minutes to go in the game and never give it up, as UMSL couldn't get any meaningful offense going in the final half. Terrell Kabala and Troy Glover II were UMSL's two leading scorers with 13 and 12, both coming off the bench. UMSL only shot 18-for-50 (36.0%) from the field, and 4-for-18 (22.2%) from three. Rockhurst shot 25-for-54 (46.3%) during the entire game, including 5-for-15 (33.3%) from three. The Hawks shot 16-for-28 (57.14%) from the field, and 5-for-8 (62.5%) from three in the second half alone.   

How to Watch

Every conference game this year will be streamed on GLVCSN under a paywall. The prices are $75 for the whole season and you will be able to watch any men's basketball game on the website. Or, you can pay $10 per game to watch. You are able to follow the live stats of each game through the UIS MBB schedule.

Up Next

The Prairie Stars stay at home with a game against Division III opponent, Knox College, next Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.