PITTSBURG — The University of Illinois-Springfield men's basketball team outscored Pittsburg State University, 12-5, over the final 5:33 to rally for a 62-60 victory Saturday (Nov. 19) at John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court.

The Gorillas (1-3) led 55-50 on a free throw by Quentin Hardrict Jr with 5:33 to play, but the Prairie Stars rattled off seven straight points to take a 57-55 lead on Jack Weber's hook shot with 2:36 remaining.

Albert McBride's jumper 20 seconds later pulled the Gorillas even, but UIS's Keith Johnson's basket put the Prairie Stars back in front at the 1:58 mark. Jordan Rice added a 3-pointer with 27 seconds remaining to extend the UIS lead to five points.

Pitt State's R.J. Forney Jr. hit a 3-pointer with 16 seconds to play for the game's final two-point margin.

The Gorillas started fast in the game, building leads of 13-2 and 18-5 early in the contest.

Hardrict led all scorers with 17 points in the game, while Calvin Poulina added a season high 13 points. Deshaun English II added six points and 10 rebounds.

Weber paced the Prairie Stars with 16 points.

Pitt State will return to action Tuesday (Nov. 22) with a home game against Harris-Stowe State University at 7 p.m. (CST).