Illinois Springfield men's basketball fell to No. 24 Missouri S&T, 87-66, at Gibson Arena on Tuesday night. UIS (15-8, 11-4 GLVC) was unable to overcome Missouri S&T's 16 three-pointers.
Illinois Springfield started the game trying to find its rhythm but quickly fell behind as Missouri S&T knocked down a series of early threes, building a 9-2 lead within the first two minutes. Despite strong inside play and contributions from the bench, the Prairie Stars struggled from long range, connecting on just 3 of 14 three-point attempts in the first half.
The Prairie Stars trailed 19-5 early but rallied to 19-10 with key baskets from
Adidas Davis, who hit a jumper and a three-pointer, and
Isaiah Davis, who added a three. UIS then stalled while Missouri S&T went on a 12-point run, and the Prairie Stars finished the first half down 46-32.
In the second half, Illinois Springfield faced a continued uphill battle.
Marlon Williams scored on a tip-in at 18:25 to cut the deficit to 19 points, but Missouri S&T extended their lead with a series of fastbreaks.
Jordan Rice tried to spark a comeback, hitting a layup at 7:54 and two three-pointers, including one at 6:40, but UIS was unable to close the gap. Missouri S&T held on for the 87-66 victory.
Jordan Rice attempted to rally the Prairie Stars with key plays, including a layup at 7:54 followed by two successful three-pointers, the last of which came at 6:40. Despite these efforts, the Prairie Stars were unable to close the gap significantly, and Missouri S&T secured the win, 87-66.
Rice scored 16 points, including three three-pointers, and added three assists.
Alex Stell posted 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting and collected 11 rebounds.
Isaiah Davis contributed six rebounds and made two threes.
Britton Dutton added eight points while converting three free throws.
"Credit to Missouri S&T," head coach Matt Brock said. "They shot the cover off the ball. We had no answer for Stovall. We will play much better than that on Saturday."
The Prairie Stars have a record of 15-8 overall and 11-4 in GLVC play. Missouri S&T stands at 17-4 overall and 11-3 in GLVC competition.
Up Next
UIS plays UIndy in Indianapolis Saturday at 2:00 p.m. CT.
