St. Louis – The Maryville women's basketball team had four players score in double figures but Illinois Springfield dealt the Saints a 79-74 defeat Thursday night. Antoinette Mussorici hit 11 free throws en route to a team-high 17 points. Karlee Feldman notched a double-double and added 11 points and hauled down 15 rebounds, the most boards by a Saint since Abby Monis grabbed 17 against Quincy Feb. 29, 2020.

Illinois Springfield recap
The Prairie Stars led after the opening 10 minutes but the Saints stormed back in the second quarter. Antoinette Mussorici had a layup to spark a 10-0 run. Karlee Feldman completed a three-point play, and a wing 3-pointer by Haidyn Pitsch put the Saints on top. Two free throws by Mussorici built a 23-18 edge for the Saints. Maryville tacked on an 11-4 lead when Feldman capped the run with a layup for a 37-29 edge. The Saints shot 56 percent in the quarter and eventually took a 38-32 margin into the break.
 
Feldman had a layup for a 40-37 lead but the Saints fell into a scoring drought in the third quarter. UIS jumped to a 54-40 lead as the Saints went five minutes without scoring. Maryville pulled to back within single digits with five straight points and were down 57-47 going into the fourth. Maryville opened the final period with four-in-a-row. The Saints chipped away and a Pitsch triple brought them to within 70-65 with 2:20 to play. Mussorici sank two at the line, and one more by Fearday trimmed the gap to one possession with 26 seconds left. UIS made two free throws but Fearday quickly scored on a layup to make it 75-72. The Prairie Stars converted two more at the line before a Mussorici layup in the final seconds. However, UIS made two more free throws to ice the game.

Statistical Leaders
Points: Antoinette Mussorici - 17
Rebounds: Karlee Feldman - 15
Assists: Antoinette Mussorici - 6
3-Pointers: Haidyn Pitsch - 4
Steals: Antoinette Mussorici - 3
Blocked Shots: Karlee Feldman - 3
 
Records
Maryville: 2-5, 0-3 GLVC
Illinois Springfield: 4-2, 2-1 GLVC
 
What's Next?
The Saints continue their homestand as they welcome Quincy to Moloney Arena for a 1 p.m. game Saturday, Dec. 2, in Moloney Arena.