BELLEVILLE, Ill. (Interstat) — The Southwestern Illinois Blue Storm earned their first victory of the season Saturday, defeating the Kaskaskia Blue Devils 79-70 in a men’s junior college basketball game.

Southwestern Illinois improved to 1-6 overall by overcoming a strong start from Kaskaskia. The visiting Blue Devils led 28-32 after a high-scoring first quarter but were outscored 47-42 after halftime. Kaskaskia’s record evened at 2-2.

Key performances from Matthew Curprew-Elsy, Nick Horras and Giulio Rigato helped secure the win for the Blue Storm, who were narrowly favored to win by statistical projections. Southwestern Illinois next plays at Mineral Area on Dec. 19. Kaskaskia hosts Lake Land on Jan. 10.