UIS women's basketball fell to Maryville, 74-56, on Saturday afternoon at TRAC. The Saints scored 42 of their points in the paint and backed it up with a strong defensive performance, while the Prairie Stars struggled to convert from deep.

UIS opened the first quarter with a defensive stop as Kayla Rice blocked a jumper by Maryville's Madyson Rigdon. Despite early struggles from the field, the team narrowed a 7-0 deficit with back-to-back three-pointers by Libby Blythe and Rice, cutting the margin to one point with 5:30 remaining. Maryville responded with a 10-2 run, aided by effective scoring in the paint, and held a 17-11 lead at the end of the quarter. 

In the second quarter, the Prairie Stars aimed to close the gap as Julia Mingus converted two free throws early on, bringing the score to 17-13. Maryville extended its lead with a series of successful plays in the paint. Kayla Rice later sparked a mid-quarter push with a layup and an additional free throw, narrowing the deficit to 22-18. Early shooting woes were offset by success at the free-throw line for UIS, close the gap to five points. The Prairie Stars ended the quarter with a layup and free throw by Molly Knight in the final seconds, closing the half with a score of 40-26.

The third quarter opened at a slow pace, with UIS holding a narrow 4-2 edge through the first five minutes on two field goals while Maryville added just two points at the free-throw line. An Alandyn Simmons three-point play sparked an 11-4 Prairie Stars run through the middle of the quarter. UIS continued to apply defensive pressure, forcing four steals and scoring 10 points in the paint. A three-pointer from Allison Wheeler at the 1:00 mark brought the Prairie Stars within six, 48-42. UIS outscored Maryville 17-12 in the quarter, but the Saints still held a 50-43 lead heading into the final period.

In the final quarter, the Prairie Stars made a push with Molly Knight's layup at 8:07 and Julia Mingus's fast-break right after, narrowing the deficit to 52-47. Despite efforts from the Prairie Stars, such as Mingus's layup at 2:52, Maryville maintained control and extended their advantage with Madyson Rigdon's layup at 2:14. The game concluded with Maryville securing a 74-56 victory. 

Julia Mingus led the team with 15 points, converting all eight of her free-throw attempts and recording three steals. Kayla Rice contributed 10 points and collected five rebounds, despite being disqualified with five fouls. Molly Knight added eight points while securing four steals. Kennedy Osterman scored five points and matched Rice with five rebounds.

The Prairie Stars hold a record of 3-6 overall and 1-3 in GLVC play. Maryville stands at 7-1 overall and 3-0 in GLVC competition.

"Maryville is a tough team," said head coach Olivia Birt. "We'll go abck to the drawing board and get ready to regroup after finals week."

Up Next
UIS returns to TRAC on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 2:00 p.m. to face Roosevelt in the Taylor Swift Birthday Bash game day, presented by Nothing Bundt Cakes.