The University of Illinois Springfield men's basketball team will host two more conference games this weekend. The Prairie Stars welcome GLVC newcomer Upper Iowa to TRAC on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., and the Truman State Bulldogs on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
UIS (11-5, 4-2)
The Prairie Stars went 1-1 last weekend with a win at home and a loss on the road. UIS currently sits 4th in the GLVC standings.
On Wednesday night the Prairie Stars hosted the Drury Panthers. UIS led for the majority of the contest, but the Panther squad kept the game close throughout. The final five minutes saw both teams hold leads, but UIS was able to pull away at the end with layups from Khalil Ross and Jack Weber to win 79-75. Three Stars finished with double-digit points on the night. Jordan Rice was UIS's leading scorer with 21 points on 8-for-17 from the field, including 5-for-8 mark from three. Jack Weber was close behind with 18 points, also going 8-for-17 from the field. Max Kunnert recorded 13 points. Jordan Rice and Jacob Hanna led the Stars with 6 rebounds. Drury outrebounded UIS 34-29, but the Prairie Stars pulled in 12 offensive boards compared to Drury's 10. UIS shot 30-for-64 (46.9%) from the field, including 10-for-19 (52.6%) from three point range. Drury shot 31-for-58 (53.4%) from the field, including a 6-for-16 (37.5%) mark from behind the arc.
On Saturday the Stars traveled to Liberty, Missouri to battle another tough GLVC squad in William Jewell. The Stars and Cardinals combined for a high-level offensive first-half as they headed into the intermission tied at 40. Neither team was able to fully take control of the game, which was shown in the 16 lead changes in the game, and eight times where the game was tied. Jewell was able to take the lead by making 4 of their last 5 three pointers, while UIS went 1-for-5 in the same span. Jordan Rice and Jayden Johnson both had a chance to tie the game in the final 10 seconds, but saw their attempts miss as the Cardinals clinched the upset 76-73. Jacob Hanna recorded a double-double on the day with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Max Kunnert (14), Jack Weber (11), and Jordan Rice (11) also finished in double figures. UIS had the advantage in rebounds (31-23), assists (18-12), blocks (4-1) and bench points (16-13). UIS shot 28-for-52 (53.8%) from the field, 9-of-21 (42.9%) from three, and 8-of-9 (88.9%) from the free-throw line. WJC shot 28-for-56 (50.0%) from the field, 10-of-28 (35.7%) from three, and 10-of-12 (83.3%) from the free-throw line.
Upper Iowa (8-4, 3-1)
Upper Iowa went 2-0 last weekend and are currently on a five game winning streak. The Peacocks are currently in 3rd place of the GLVC standings.
On Wednesday night on the road against McKendree the Peacocks used a balanced scoring attack to upend the Bearcats. All five UIU starters finished in double figures. The Peacocks held a 49-38 advantage at the break, but a quickfire McKendree run made the game close again. The second half was all about runs for both teams, as McKendree would make it close, only for UIU to increase their lead again. In the end, Upper Iowa held off McKendree 97-83. Nick Reid (21), Noah King (19), Jake Hilmer (18), Kyle Hrncir (18), and Caleb Delzell (11) all finished with double-digit points. Hrncir also led the team with 8 rebounds, which was a game-high. The Peacocks only had 4 turnovers compared to McKendree's 11. The Bearcats finished with 36 rebounds compared to UIU's 34. UIU shot 34-for-67 (50.7%) from the field, 11-for-31 (35.5%) from three, and 18-for-24 (75.0%) from the free-throw line. McKendree shot 37-of-71 (52.1%) from the field, 7-for-28 (25.0%) from three, and only 2-for-3 (66.7%) from the free-throw line.
On Saturday the Peacocks hosted a solid Lewis Flyers team, as both teams were looking for their second win of the weekend. The Peacocks held a 37-33 lead at the break and built on their lead early in the second half. UIU led by as many as 12 points with 7:30 remaining, a gap that Lewis couldn't close before time expired. UIU won the game 80-70, as the Peacocks gave up their second lowest total of the year. UIU held a slight advantage in both rebounds (34-33) and assists (11-10). Noah King and Nick Reid both finished with 18 points to lead the Peacocks. Jake Hilmer also had 14 points of his own. UIU shot 26-of-56 (46.4%) from the field, 2-for-16 (12.5%) from three, and 26-of-31 (83.9%) from the free-throw line. Lewis shot 23-of-55 (41.8%) from the field, 4-for-11 (36.4%) from three, and 20-of-26 (76.9%) from the free-throw line.
Jake Hilmer : 24.4 pts / 4.9 ast / 1.7 stl
Noah King : 19.2 pts / 4.1 reb / 2.4 ast
Nick Reid : 14.2 pts / 6.6 reb / 1.3 blk
Caleb Delzell : 8.7 pts / 4.8 reb / 1.0 blk
Kyle Hrncir : 7.8 pts / 5.4 reb
Truman State (4-8, 1-3)
TSU went 0-2 in last weekend's game, and are looking for their first conference win since December 2. The Bulldogs are currently sitting in 11th place in the GLVC standings.
On Wednesday night the Bulldogs hosted UIndy in a game that showed why the Greyhounds are one of the top teams in the GLVC. The game was relatively close early, but Indy went on a late run in the first half to take a 34-25 lead going into the break. The second half is where the Greyhounds ran away from the Bulldogs, with continuous scoring and repeated stops. UIndy won the game 86-48. Blaise Porter came off the bench to be the only Bulldog to finish in double figures with 10 points. TSU shot 18-of-58 (31.0%) from the field, 6-for-29 (20.7%) from three, and 6-for-8 (75.0%) from the free-throw line. UIndy shot 31-for-58 (53.4%) from the field, a whopping 16-of-28 (57.1%) from three, and 8-for-15 (53.3%) from the free-throw line.
On Saturday afternoon the Bulldogs traveled to St. Louis to take on UMSL. The first ten minutes of the game were a battle as both teams held leads. UMSL started to pull away at the end of the first half and took a 42-25 lead into the intermission. TSU fought hard in the second half to bring the game within single-digits, but the Triton offense couldn't be stopped as UMSL won the contest 81-67. Landon Eiland finished with 13 points to lead the Bulldogs in scoring. Both Casen Lawrence and Matt Haefner came off the Bulldog bench and chipped in with 12 points. UMSL held the advantage in rebounds (39-27) and assists (20-12), while forcing Truman into 12 turnovers. TSU shot 25-of-56 (44.6%) from the field, 12-for-31 (38.7%) from three, and 5-for-7 (71.4%) from the free throw line. UMSL shot 29-for-60 (48.3%) from the field, 8-of-24 (33.3%) from three, and 15-for-22 (68.2%) from the free-throw line.
Kobi Williams : 10.8 pts / 3.3 reb / 2.1 ast
Xavier Hall : 10.2 pts / 2.8 reb / 5.0 ast
Trey Shearer : 10.2 pts / 2.9 reb / 2.3 ast
Brennan Lovette : 9.3 pts / 3.1 reb
Landon Eiland : 7.6 pts / 4.6 reb
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 host a lone game next Saturday against in-state rival, Quincy, at 3:00 p.m.
