Terri Bender made UIC women's basketball history Friday night at UIC Pavilion, by scoring her 1,000^th career point and recording her 400^th career rebound in the Flames' contest against Wright State.

Bender filled out the stat sheet with nine points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals as she continues to carve out her place among the greatest Flames guards of all time.

Unfortunately for her team, her achievements, and those of Brittany Byrd who flirted with her third consecutive double-double, were not enough to get past the Raiders.  The 73-54 Wright State victory dropped UIC to 3-16 on the season, 0-8 in Horizon League play.

The Flames got determined efforts across the board in the first half.  The team's hustle and unselfish play led the way to a two point halftime lead against the second place team in the league.  But Wright State improved to 14-5 (6-1 in the conference) thanks to a third quarter rally fueled by points off of UIC turnovers.

Brittany Byrd kept UIC even for the first quarter.  She made two three pointers and added a three point play, ending the period with 11 of the team's 15 points.  She had 18 points and eight rebounds by halftime.  Wright State changed their defense on Byrd in the second half, and she would get just one more rebound while going scoreless the rest of the game.

The Flames led by as many as nine points in the second quarter.  They built that lead thanks in part to Gabryelle Johnson's return to the lineup, whereupon she accumulated enough floor burns to make up for the five games she missed.  After being on the floor several times diving for loose balls and breaking up passes, Johnson drew two charges in quick succession as Wright State went through a 1-7 shooting slump.

The Raiders broke out of their funk with a three pointer, followed quickly by a three point play that tied the game at 26.  UIC immediately responded in kind.  Brittany Byrd made a trey, and Terri Bender knocked the ball away on a Raiders fast break by playing tremendous individual defense, then tossed an outlet pass to Johnson for an easy layup.

A different Wright State team emerged from the locker room after halftime.  The Raiders dominated the third quarter from start to finish.  They forced nearly as many UIC turnovers (4) as they scored points (5) in the first three minutes.  A Flames timeout failed to stem the tide, as two more turnovers on consecutive possessions led to four more Raiders points and a 40-31 Wright State lead.

The Flames regrouped and got a three pointer from Catera Etheridge, then four points from Taylor Toney on a jumper in the lane and a steal with a drive to the hoop.  UIC closed the gap to just four points, but then Brittany Byrd picked up her fourth and fifth fouls on the same sequence.  With UIC's leading scorer on the sidelines, Wright State seized the opportunity.  Chelsea Welch scored seven points in the final three minutes of the period, and Terri Bender's halfcourt buzzer beater – her second such long distance shot in as many games – only served to draw UIC back within 10 points heading into the final stanza.

The Flames committed 30 turnovers, a high in conference play.  Wright State outscored UIC 33-13 in points off of turnovers.  Four Raiders scored in double digits, including Emily Vogelpohl and Welch, who both had 18.

Wright State was able to keep the Flames at arm's length in the final 10 minutes, as UIC would never be able to get within single digits.  Terri Bender achieved her two personal milestones to provide some highlights in the fourth quarter.  Early in the period, she grabbed her 400^th career rebound.  Later, she made a spin move in the lane and converted a short jumper to become the 22^nd member of UIC's 1,000 point club.  See the video of her 1,000^th point here.

UIC will return to action Sunday afternoon, continuing their homestand against Valparaiso.