For as bad as the University of Illinois Springfield men’s basketball team played in its last outing against a nationally ranked opponent, the Prairie Stars were beyond impressive in a 73-71 upset of No. 10 Southern Indiana on Thursday night.
The Prairie Stars (4-8 overall, 2-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference) survived a thriller against the Screaming Eagles (9-2, 2-1) at The Recreation and Athletic Center.
UIS senior guard Kyle Gupton’s back-to-back 3-pointers evened the score at 69 with 1 minute 39 seconds left. Junior guard Brandon Snowden’s steal underneath Southern Indiana’s basket with 47.1 seconds remaining kept the Stars’ upset hopes alive, then freshman forward Dusko Despot nailed a 3-pointer for a 72-69 UIS lead with :13.8 left on the clock.
The contest didn’t end there. Southeast High School product Lawrence Thomas drove the lane and tossed in a layup that pulled Southern Indiana within 72-71 with 3.4 to go. UIS sophomore forward Dylan Sparkman was fouled with 1.2 seconds and converted both free throws for a two-point lead.
“They stayed together,” UIS coach Ben Wierzba said. “We got down by six or seven and we stayed together and finished the thing out.”
The win was featured by the State Journal-Register on January 10, 2013.
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