The UIS women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought GLVC road contest, falling 71-70 to Quincy on Thursday night at Pepsi Arena.

UIS (5-9, 2-4 GLVC) forced 28 turnovers and recorded 17 steals, but Quincy (6-7, 3-3 GLVC) held an advantage in the paint and withstood a late Prairie Stars rally to secure the win.

UIS opened the game with strong defensive pressure, creating early turnovers and playing with high energy. Kayla Rice scored first for UIS with a jumper and later added a pair of free throws, while Molly Knight also converted at the line. Despite forcing three steals in the opening minutes, UIS struggled to capitalize offensively as Quincy found success inside. The Hawks closed the first quarter on a run to take a 24-15 lead.

Quincy continued to build momentum in the second quarter, extending its lead with consistent interior scoring. A three-pointer from Julia Mingus and a late layup by Kennedy Osterman provided a spark for UIS, but the Prairie Stars trailed 40-28 at halftime.

Momentum shifted coming out of the break as UIS found its rhythm from beyond the arc. The Prairie Stars scored nine quick points on three three-pointers in under a minute, cutting the deficit back to single digits. Allison Wheeler knocked down two of those, both assisted by Knight, before Mingus connected on the team's fourth triple of the quarter at 5:55 to make it 47-42. UIS closed within two points multiple times, but Quincy responded each time to maintain a 58-52 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

The pace carried into the final period, with Quincy missing its first four scoring attempts. UIS capitalized when Allysia McDaniel came up with a steal at 7:28, leading to a Kennedy Osterman three-pointer assisted by Knight that tied the game at 58. Moments later, Alandyn Simmons converted a free throw to give UIS its first lead since the opening minutes, 59-58.

The teams traded baskets through a tense final six minutes. Rice drained a key three-pointer at the 1:04 mark to pull UIS within one. After UIS missed a shot with 30 seconds remaining, Quincy dribbled into a trap that resulted in a Prairie Stars jump ball. With eight seconds left and down three, Mingus knocked down two free throws to make it a one-point game. Quincy missed a layup on the ensuing possession, and Osterman secured the rebound and raced past midcourt, launching a heave at the buzzer that narrowly bounced off the rim as UIS fell 71-70.

Mingus led the Prairie Stars with 19 points, shooting 5-for-12 from the field and converting all six of her free throws, while adding four steals. Rice finished with 15 points, including three three-pointers and three steals. Knight recorded four assists and two steals, and Wheeler added six points with two threes and five rebounds. 

UIS moves to 5-9 overall and 2-4 in GLVC play, while Quincy improves to 6-7 overall and 3-3 in conference action.

"We've shown that we are a scrappy team," head coach Olivia Birt said. "We're ready to bounce back on Saturday."

Up Next
UIS prepares for Saturday's 1:00 p.m. game at Truman State in Kirksville, Mo.