SPRINGFIELD, Ill.— Drury fought back but could not erase a 19-point deficit at halftime and fell to Illinois Springfield 73-64 on Saturday at The Recreation & Athletic Center in Springfield, Illinois.
 
The loss snapped Drury's three-game winning streak and dropped them to 9-9 and 4-7 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Prairie Stars improved to 10-9 and 5-6 in the GLVC.
 
The Panthers trailed by as much as 23 in the first half and were down 43-24 at the intermission. Drury chipped early in the second half, but a UIS run put the Prairie Stars ahead 53-32 with 13:48 remaining.
 
The Panthers charged back with a response, though, and went on a 14-2 run to pull within seven. Two free throws by Kanon Gipson brought Drury within three points of the lead, 60-57, with 2:20 left. After the Prairie Stars sank two free throws, the Panthers missed a three-point attempt, and Illinois Springfield caught two breaks on the next possession.
 
With the shot clock expiring, Prairie Stars forward Jack Weber threw up a desperation shot from 20 feet in the corner that found its way through the basket. The officials issued a technical foul on Drury and, after the two made free throws, Illinois Springfield owned a nine-point lead, 65-57, with 1:01 left.
 
"We've just got to play for 40 minutes and that's been our challenge," said Drury head coach Chris Foster. "We communicated better and defended better in the second. But we have to play like that all the time. I believe we have a good team, but you can't expect to play 20 minutes of good basket a night and expect to win games in this league."
 
Juok Riak led the Panthers with a season-high 23 points. The sophomore from Madison, Wisconsin, went 9 for 13 from the floor. Logan Applegate added 16 points.
 
Illinois Springfield's Evan Altman led his team with a game-high 30 points, the most scored by an opposing player against Drury this season.
 
The Panthers rallied by forcing turnovers. Drury had 11 steals and forced the Prairie Stars into 16 turnovers while only committing eight.
 
The Panthers were just 3 for 27 from three-point range, while the Prairie Stars hit 7 of their 16 three-point attempts. Drury finished the game shooting 40 percent overall, going 25 for 63 from the field. UIS was 23 for 44 for 52 percent.
 
The Panthers return home to face Upper Iowa on Thursday for a 7:45 pm game in the O'Reilly Family Event Center.
 
 
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