The University of Illinois Springfield women's basketball team will continue their season with two home conference games against McKendree on Thursday at 5:30 p.m., and Missouri - St. Louis on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
UIS (5-2, 3-1)
The Prairie Stars returned to winning ways as they picked up two road wins this past weekend.
On Thursday night in St. Louis against Maryville, UIS used a huge third quarter to earn a victory over the Saints. Trailing by six at halftime, the Prairie Stars outscored the Saints 25-9 in the third period to take a 57-47 lead heading into the final frame. UIS kept Maryville at arm's length with clutch buckets and made free throws in the fourth quarter to win the game 79-74. Jessenia Lawson led all scoring with 19 points to go along with 9 rebounds. Liz Uhl registered a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Michaela Gibbons chipped in with 10 points of her own, while six other Prairie Stars' recorded points. UIS outrebounded the Saints 46-36, and forced Maryville into 22 turnovers. The Prairie Stars shot 27-for-73 (37.0%) from the field, including 9-for-27 (33.3%) from three point range. The Saints shot 26-for-52 (50.0%) from the field, with a 5-for-17 (29.4%) mark from three.
On Saturday afternoon against Missouri S&T, the Prairie Stars used big second and fourth quarters to win their second game of the weekend. After a first quarter which saw the Stars fall behind 15-27, a 13-2 UIS run made it a close game once again. UIS made five three-pointers in the final frame, enough to pull away from the Miners and win the contest 78-71. Michaela Gibbons led the way for the Stars with 19 points, and went 5-9 from three. Three other Prairie Stars finished with double-digit points; Saharra Murphy (11), Jessenia Lawson (11), and Kayla Rice (10). The Miners held a slight advantage in rebounds 38-36. The Prairie Stars forced S&T into 18 turnovers on the day. UIS shot 31-for-65 (47.7%) from the field, including 11-for-28 (39.3%) from three. S&T shot 27-for-65 (41.5%) from the field, but only 5-for-20 (25.0%) from three.
McKendree (6-2, 4-0)
The Bearcats also picked up two wins over the weekend to increase their win streak to five games.
On Thursday against Rockhurst, McKendree never trailed as they won handily, 69-55. Naomi McDaniel led all scorers with 24 points to go along with 13 rebounds. Madyson Harper (13) and Clare Breden (12) also finished the game with double-digit points. The Bearcats shot 26-for-65 (40.0%) from the field, including 5-for-16 (31.3%) from three. McKendree outrebounded Rockhurst 47-42 and forced 16 turnovers on the day. RU only shot 22-for-71 (31.0%) from the field, including 3-for-18 (16.7%) in the loss.
On Saturday against William Jewell, the Bearcats and Cardinals had a back-and-forth game where McKendree pulled away late to win 71-66. A jumper and two free throws secured the Bearcat win with less than 30 seconds left in the game. Naomi McDaniel once again led the Bearcats in scoring, this time with 22. Madyson Harper (12), Christy Fortune (11), and Clare Breden (10) all finished with double-digit points also. The Bearcats outrebounded the Cardinals 44-29. McKendree shot 24-for-54 (44.4%) from the field, including 7-for-15 (46.7%) from three. WJC shot 25-for-58 (43.1%) from the field, and 5-for-19 (26.3%) from three.
UMSL (4-3, 2-2)
The Tritons lost both games they played last weekend at home.
Thursday night's game came against William Jewell, where the Tritons would fall 67-77. A quick 7-2 run for the Cardinals at the start of the third quarter would give Jewell the lead, which they would not give up the rest of the game. UMSL was led in scoring by Jalysa Stokes with 21 points. Amaya Blake was close behind with 17 points of her own. UMSL outrebounded WJC 50-28. The Tritons shot 22-of-64 (34.4%) from the field, while the Cardinals shot 28-for-62 (45.2%) from the field.
On Saturday against Rockhurst, UMSL would once again come up short where they lost the contest 53-62. The first quarter saw both teams have leads at points, but the second quarter saw the Hawks take the lead for the rest of the game. The Tritons had a balanced offensive attack as all eight players that saw action scored points. Jalysa Stokes once again was the leading scorer for the Tritons with 11 points. UMSL outrebounded the Hawks 44-33. The Tritons shot 22-of-61 (36.1%) from the field, while the Hawks had a slight edge with a 22-of-58 (37.9%) mark from the field.
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 women'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 WBB schedule.
Up Next
The Prairie Stars travel to Lakeland, Florida to compete in the Florida Southern Terrace Hotel Classic. The Prairie Stars match up against host Florida Southern (12/15) and Eckerd (12/16).
