The University of Illinois Springfield men’s basketball team travelled to Quincy, Ill. on Saturday afternoon and returned home with an 80-77 road win over Quincy.
 
UIS got off to a slow start and trailed by eight early on. A Vince Walker three-pointer though sparked a 10-0 run that got the Prairie Stars back into the game. Later in the half, the two teams were tied at 32 with two minutes remaining. UIS scored nine points in the final two minutes, including a three-pointer by Aundrae Williams in the final seconds of the half, and it led 41-35 at halftime.
 
UIS extended its lead to 18 points over the first 4:23 of the second half. Three different Prairie Stars hit three-pointers in a 17-5 run to start the half. Quincy responded though with 11 straight points, getting the UIS lead back to just seven midway through the final half.
 
The Hawks kept inching closer, eventually getting within one at 66-65 with 4:51 remaining. On the Prairie Stars next possession, Williams had a shot blocked, but Gilwan Nelson got the rebound and put it right back in. UIS forced turnovers on Quincy’s next two possessions, and UIS scored three points for a little cushion.
 
It would need that cushion in the final minute of play. Four missed free throws by UIS helped the Hawks get back into the game, and Quincy trailed by one and had the ball with 21 seconds left. The Prairie Stars forced a turnover and Nelson hit two free throws with eight seconds remaining to give UIS an 80-77 lead. Quincy’s final three-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark as the Prairie Stars survived on the road.
 
Turnovers played a big role in the game as Quincy had 15, compared to nine for UIS. That helped UIS have an 18-10 edge in points off turnovers. The Prairie Stars shot 51.8 percent from the field for the game, compared to 50 percent for the Hawks.
 
Nelson had his fourth 20-point game of the season as he finished with 21. He was six-of-10 from the field and nine-of-10 from the free-throw line. Cole Harper finished with 14 points, Amaya had 12, and Williams chipped in with 11. Collin Stallworth had a team-high six rebounds, and Williams led the team with four assists and two steals.
 
UIS improves to 13-6 overall and 6-3 in GLVC play. The Prairie Stars return home on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. game against Lewis.