The University of Illinois Springfield women's basketball team returns home for their final games at TRAC of the 2023-24 season. The Prairie Stars play Lewis on Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. in their annual Pink Game. UIS welcomes Indianapolis on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. to celebrate Senior Day. 

UIS (13-10, 11-6)

The Prairie Stars went 1-1 on the road last weekend with a huge win against conference leaders McKendree. UIS currently sits 5th in the GLVC Women's Basketball Point Rating System Rankings with an average rating of 3.65 points.

UIS traveled to St. Louis on Thursday night to take on UMSL, looking to split the season series with the Tritons. UMSL jumped on the Stars early and kept the game out of range the rest of the way. The Tritons continuously built the lead until the end, coming away with a 71-53 victory for a season sweep over UIS. 

Saturday afternoon the Prairie Stars matched up against conference leaders McKendree in Lebanon looking to cause a big upset. Both the Bearcats and Stars traded blows in the first quarter, but UIS took control of the game in the second quarter. An all-around team performance helped UIS keep McKendree at a safe distance, coming away with a 77-72 win. Every single Prairie Star that played scored points. 

The Prairie Stars are 6-4 in games at TRAC this season. UIS is averaging 75.4 points per game on 40.0% shooting. The Stars are holding opponents to 74.8 points per game on 46.3% shooting. UIS scores the second most points per game in the GLVC at 75.4. UIS averages 37.4 rebounds per game and 13.74 assists per game. The Prairie Stars lead the GLVC with an average of 11.26 steals per game. The Stars are 7-3 in their last 10 games. 

 

Jessenia Lawson        16.9 pts/ 7.5 reb/ 3.4 ast/ 2.5 stl

Liz Uhl            12.8 pts/ 4.0 reb/ 1.9 ast/ 1.6 stl

Michaela Gibbons        8.9 pts/ 3.3 reb

Kayla Rice            7.7 pts/ 2.2 reb/ 1.9 ast/ 2.0 stl

 

Lewis (14-8, 13-3)

The Flyers went 2-0 last weekend at home and currently are on a three-game win streak. Lewis is tied for 2nd place in the GLVC Women's Basketball Point Rating System Rankings with an average rating of 3.938 points.

Lewis welcomed Truman State on Thursday night to Romeoville with a dominant victory over the last-placed team in the GLVC. The Flyers were able to build their lead by shooting 50% from three-point range in the first three quarters of the game. Lewis gradually built their lead as they came away with a 71-57 win. 

On Saturday afternoon the Flyers played host to Upper Iowa, in what could be a potential GLVC Tournament matchup. In a game that only featured three lead changes, it was much closer than it appeared. Lewis would go on a small run to take what looked like a controlling lead, but the Peacocks wouldn't go down easily. A two-point game with one minute left in regulation turned into a free-throw battle, where Lewis would ice the game and win 67-63.

The Flyers are 5-2 in road games this season. Lewis is averaging 69.0 points per game on 40.8% shooting from the field. The Flyers allow opponents to score 66.5 points per game on 41.6% shooting. Lewis averages 36.0 rebounds per game and 13.00 assists per game. The Flyers are 7-3 in their last 10 games. 

 

Grace Hilber            15.6 pts/ 3.9 reb/ 2.0 ast/ 1.0 stl

Jenna Badali            12.5 pts/ 3.8 reb/ 4.5 ast/ 1.7 stl

Kathryn Schmidt        12.4 pts/ 6.8 reb/ 1.4 ast/ 1.0 stl

Taylor Gugliuzza        12.1 pts/ 5.7 reb/ 2.6 ast/ 1.5 stl

 

Indianapolis (11-11, 8-8)

UIndy went 0-2 last weekend at home with two close games. The Greyhounds are just outside the conference tournament positions at 9th place in the GLVC Women's Basketball Point Rating System Rankings with an average rating of 3.00 points.

On Thursday night Indianapolis welcomed Upper Iowa to Nicoson Hall for the first meeting ever between the two at the venue. UIndy looked to be in control of the contest, holding double-digit leads in every quarter. An 8-2 run by the Peacocks in the final three minutes saw the score tied at 77 with 28 seconds to go. Indianapolis looked to take the lead back, but was called for an offensive foul. The ensuing Peacock possession resulted in Mia Huberty hitting the game-winning jumper with one second left to give UIU the 79-77 win on the road. 

On Saturday afternoon the Greyhounds took on the Bulldogs of Truman State in what turned out to be a tight contest. TSU led for the majority of the game, but UIndy fought back in the second half. Truman found themselves up eight points in the fourth quarter, but Indianapolis clawed back to even the score at 67. TSU ended the contest strong as they walked away with a 79-72 road win. 

 

Elana Wells            16.7 pts/ 3.4 reb/ 4.5 ast

Liv Becker            14.0 pts/ 4.0 reb/ 1.3 ast

Jada Patton            10.1 pts/ 5.5 reb/ 1.0 stl

Jada Haines            8.8 pts/ 3.4 reb/ 1.4 ast

Patricia Chikamba         7.9 pts/ 7.9 reb/ 1.2 ast

 

Up Next

The Prairie Stars continue their conference schedule with two long away trips to Truman State (2/22) and Upper Iowa (2/24).