Conference play started for the Lincoln Land Loggers who began the Mid West Athletic Conference season of the road against Illinois Central College. Unfortunately for the Loggers it was a bumpy start.

Lincoln Land raced out to 18-7 lead only letting the Cougars score on 3 of their first 15 possession. However, the tide quickly changed as the Cougars connected one 12 of the last 15 including a shot at the first half buzzer to go take a 33-31 lead into halftime.

Lincoln Land took back the lead early into the second half, but a few possessions later Illini Central knocked down a three to take back a one point lead. The Cougars ran away until 4:00 to go in the game. The Loggers made one last strong run and after a three by Garret Williams the Loggers were back without two points with 2:01 left. However, the gap never got any closer. Illini Central made free throws down the stretch to ensure the Loggers would never catch up. The final score was 71-61 with the Loggers coming out on the losing end. The Loggers struggled to handle pressure turning the ball over 18 times and also being out-rebounded in the game.

The Loggers continue to receive balanced scoring efforts with Quenton Lowe leading the way with 12 points. Garret Williams put in 11, Bryan Bridges and Dwight Cunningham had 10 a piece, and Reed Willenborg came out with 9.

'We played a great first 8 minutes, but could not sustain it. We had our opportunities, but just could not cash them in. We know what we need to work on and what we need to do better moving forward," concluded Coach Chad Jones after the game.

Lincoln Land falls to 12-6 on the season 0-1 in conference play and the road ahead remains tough as the #4 Danville Community College Jaguars come to Springfield and Cass Gym on January 23rd.