SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The UIndy men's basketball team secured a tough 82-75 victory over Illinois Springfield on Saturday, making it four straight wins as the visitors in the capital of the Prairie State.
 
Jesse Bingham led all scorers with a season-high 25 points, while Kendrick Tchoua and Jarvis Walker also performed well offensively with 23 and 20, respectively.
 
The Prairie Stars entered Saturday with the third-best 3-point percentage in NCAA Division II at 41.8 percent, however, the Greyhounds allowed just seven triples on 22 tries (31.8 percent).
 
INS & OUTS
Sean Craig put UIndy back up double digits with 11-and-a-half minutes remaining, driving through the lane for a reverse layup to keep the momentum.
 

Stacks ?? through the lane and puts us back up ??! pic.twitter.com/qQ6LWVCiOL

— UIndy Men's Basketball (@UIndyMBB) February 17, 2024

Facing a 13-point deficit, Illinois Springfield forged a comeback with a 17-6 run to inch within one possession as 2:56 read on the clock. The Greyhounds responded with a Tchoua layup and Walker's four 3-pointer of the afternoon over the next two minutes to seal the win.
 

HUGE TRIPLE ????? pic.twitter.com/a05bOQ0jZT

— UIndy Men's Basketball (@UIndyMBB) February 17, 2024

UIndy went 5-of-6 at the charity stripe in the final 18 seconds, with Bingham sinking all four of his attempts during the stretch.
 
The Hounds capped the first half on a modest 13-6 run started by David Ejah cleaning up a loose ball for a layup with under six minutes left before the break.
 

?? Dave cleans up the scraps for an easy bucket and give us back the lead! pic.twitter.com/qJU00NRqyD

— UIndy Men's Basketball (@UIndyMBB) February 17, 2024

INSIDE THE BOX
- Tchoua recorded his fifth double-double of the season – and third of the month – with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
- UIndy controlled the paint play, outscoring Illinois Springfield on the block, 40-28.
- Four Hounds combined for nine triples in the win, with Josiah Tynes joining Bingham, Craig, and Walker.
- The Greyhounds coughed up possession nine times on Saturday, marking the sixth game this season they have finished with single-digit turnovers.
 
MORE NOTES
UIndy now leads the all-time series, 14-4 … Jacob Hanna led the Prairie Stars with 24 points, scoring 13 from the free-throw line … Bingham is now just seven blocks away from tying the program record of 137 held by Steve Kahl (1976-78).
 
HOUND BYTES
Head coach Paul Corsaro on the team's 3-point defense…
"I thought our guys were really in tune with the game plan of defending the arc. We got terrific contributions from everyone that played. This was a total team win!"
 
UP NEXT
UIndy returns to Nicoson Hall on Thursday seeking revenge against William Jewell. The Cardinals knocked off the Greyhounds back on Jan. 13 in Liberty, Mo., by a score of 73-71.
 
The Hounds lead the all-time series, 12-2.