Illinois Springfield boxscore in PDF

St. Louis - The Maryville women's basketball team saw a fourth-quarter lead slip away as Illinois Springfield rallied late to trip up the Saints 59-57. The loss spoiled a double-double effort by Alex Wolf who had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Prairie Stars nailed a 3-pointer to take a 3-2 lead but the Saints ripped off 15 unanswered points to surge ahead. Carly Frala started the run with a free throw, and Wolf scored back-to-back layups. Alex Hillyer converted inside before Frala knocked down a jumper. Madeline Hartke sank one free throw and Hillyer made a layup and drilled a 3-pointer for a 17-3 lead in the final minute of play. UIS pulled to 19-10 midway through the second quarter but Frala drained a triple to build a double-digit lead. Maryville still led by 12 and Hillyer had a 3-point play just before halftime for a 31-16 Saints lead. The Maryville defense limited UIS to just 7-of-27 shooting from the field (25.9 percent) in the first half.
 
The Saints maintained a double-figure lead the entire third quarter and never led by less than 11 points. Maryville took its largest advantage of the night when Ali Ringering sank two free throws with 1:03 left in the third quarter. The Saints settled for a 49-36 lead after three. The Maryville edge stood at 53-42 with 6:20 to play in the fourth quarter before the Prairie Stars mounted their comeback. UIS scored five quick points but Hartke scored in the lane for a 55-47 lead with 4:52 remaining. The Prairie Stars went on a 9-0 run and inched ahead 56-55 with 1:16 to play. Frala found Wolf for a layup as the Saints went back ahead 57-56 in the final minute. Ashley McHenry answered for UIS with 37.6 seconds to play to take a 58-57 lead. Maryville missed on its next possession, and McHenry added one free throw with 23 seconds left for a 59-57 edge. The Saints had the apparent game-tying basket waived off with 4.2 ticks to play but kept the ball after a tied up possession. However, the Saints attempt to force overtime missed as UIS held on for the win.
 
Wolf hit 7-of-10 shots en route to her double-double. Hillyer led the Saints with 19 points, while Ringering added 10 points. Frala chipped in eight points, seven rebounds and five assists. Syerra Cunningham topped UIS (8-12, 2-10 GLVC) with 21 points and 15 rebounds.
 
The Saints fall below .500 and are now 9-10 overall, 3-9 in the GLVC. Maryville welcomes McKendree Saturday in a 1 p.m. contest at Moloney Arena.