Thursday, January 4, 2018

UIS basketball teams look to continue success

The University of Illinois Springfield is sitting pretty heading into the second half of the women’s basketball season.

UIS is 8-2 overall and sits atop the five-team Great Lakes Valley Conference Central Division standings with a 2-0 record.

“We’ve got off to a really good start,” UIS women’s basketball coach Mark Kost said. “We’ve just got to keep it going.”

In Florida, UIS dominated Embry-Riddle 72-54, beating a team that received votes in the NCAA Division II national poll. “We beat a very good team on their home court,” Kost said. “We were really good defensively with our pressure and our defensive pressure got us in a good flow offensively. We just played well. Our quickness and athletic ability kind of overwhelmed them.”

UIS is off to its best start in the program’s Division II era.

The UIS men’s basketball team kicks off the second half of the season against Lewis Thursday. It takes a 9-3 overall record and 1-1 conference record into the game.

“I feel like we’re about where we should be,” UIS men’s basketball coach Bill Walker said. “If I had to analyze, I wish we would have won another game or two.”

The Stars have nine victories in their last 10 games and only fell 69-64 to Southern Illinois University in an exhibition.

They’ve been getting a big boost from senior Eddie Longmeyer. He ranks No. 7 in the conference in scoring, No. 8 in rebounding and No. 4 in steals. 

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on January 3, 2018.

Read the entire article online.