Illinois Springfield (1-0) won its 25th straight home opener Monday night, continuing a streak that dates back to 2002 with a 108-72 victory over Millikin (2-0) in front of the Blue Out crowd. The Prairie Stars opened the game with an 11-0 run, hit 18 3-pointers and got 49 points from the bench.
UIS opened the gamewith 11 straight points, getting early scoring from
Alex Stell,
Britton Dutton,
Adidas Davis and
Kobe Clark. After Millikin worked to get within 24-23,
Jake Nosek made two 3-pointers around two
Isaiah Davis free throws to push the Prairie Stars to a 32-23 lead. UIS shot 19 of 40 from the field, outrebounded Millikin 21-13 and carried a 53-37 lead into halftime.
The Prairie Stars leaned on perimeter shooting in the second half, going 11 for 21 from 3-point range and using an 8-0 stretch to push their lead to 78-50. Nosek later scored eight straight points for the Prairie Stars, including two 3-pointers, as the lead reached 91-59 with 6:29 left. The Prairie Stars outscored Millikin 55-35 in the half and finished off the 108-72 win. The 108-point game matched last year's highest-scoring game.
Isaiah Davis scored 26 points, made seven 3-pointers and added two steals. The 26 points were his second most in a game as a Prairie Star, while the seven made 3-pointers also marked his second most in a game at UIS. Alex Stell recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while adding four assists. Freshman Jake Nosek added 14 points while converting 4 of 4 from 3-point range. Kobe Clark recorded six points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block.
Head coach Matt Brock credited the Prairie Stars' defensive focus and balanced effort in the home-opening win.
"The Stars came out very focused tonight. Coach Zack Jadzak did a great job with the defensive game plan, and I really liked our intensity and intention on that end. Kobe and Alex were all over the boards and the ball was really moving on offense. We got some really strong bench play from several spots, especially in the second half. Quick turnaround as we shift our attention to Roosevelt on Friday," said Brock.
Later this week, Illinois Springfield goes to Fayette, Iowa, for neutral-site games against Roosevelt and Parkside.
