UIS opened the game with offensive dominance, quickly establishing a lead it would never relinquish with a Tye Banks layup. The Prairie Stars then built on this momentum with a strong shooting display, featuring a key three-pointer by Adidas Davis at 17:13. They capitalized on turnovers and took advantage of fast-break opportunities, leading to a commanding 57-26 advantage by the end of the half.
The Prairie Stars dominated the second half, igniting a decisive stretch with a series of successful plays in the paint. Banks contributed significantly with a series of layups and jumpers, while Jordan Rice added fast-break points to maintain momentum. Britton Dutton’s consecutive three-pointers extended the lead to 84-37, while Evan Simon’s contributions from the line and beyond the arc helped to solidify the advantage. The UIS defense was equally effective, forcing turnovers and securing key rebounds to limit the Owls’ scoring opportunities. The Prairie Stars secured a New Year’s Eve 108-67 victory while shooting 60% from the field and 50% from three-point range.
Donaven Younger finished with a career-high 17 points, converting all seven of his field-goal attempts. Tye Banks also scored 17 points, shooting 8-for-10 from the field. Adidas Davis added 15 points, going 6-for-6 at the free-throw line and knocking down three three-pointers, while Britton Dutton finished with 13 points, knocking down three three-pointers as well.
“We were very focused and mature today,” head coach Matt Brock said. “It was great to get back out there after some time off. I thought we defended at a very high level, especially over the first 30 minutes. We had great energy from our bench, and Donaven and Britt gave us a good lift.”
The Prairie Stars stand at 8-4 overall and 4-0 in GLVC play.
Up Next
The Prairie Stars open the new year at 6:00 p.m. Friday as part of a home doubleheader against Indianapolis.
