CHICAGO -- UIC scored 31 points in the fourth quarter to charge from behind and take down the visiting Eastern Michigan Eagles, 73-70, at the UIC Pavilion on Friday night.

The Flames (5-3) buried 12 3-pointers in the ballgame, including four in the pivotal fourth period. Tia Tedford was particularly instrumental off the bench, providing 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc. Taylor Toney tallied 18 points and a game-high six assists for UIC.
 
First Half Highlights

• Eastern Michigan grabbed the first bucket of the game just 19 seconds in, and Teodora Zagorac responded by putting the Flames on the board with a three. UIC went scoreless for the next 5:13, until a layup at the hands of Taylor Toney ended the drought. In the meantime, the Eagles had already reached double-digits, leading 10-5.
• EMU scored five of its last six to finish the first quarter with a 17-11 lead.
• The Eagles shot just below 64 percent in the first quarter, while holding the Flames to just under 27 percent. Just over half of the Eagles' 17 points in the quarter were awarded off of UIC miscues (10).
• Taylor Toney was an offensive beacon for UIC as the only Flame to score in the first half of the second quarter. The junior netted a three-point shot clock buzzer beater to get the Flames on the board to start the second, and then followed it up with a defensive rebound that she ran back for two to put the Flames within five, 24-19.
• The Eagles took advantage of UIC's miscues to go on 9-0 run off of three UIC turnovers in a 1:43 span. Gabby Johnson ended the streak with a layup, but the Flames now faced a ten-point hole, 33-23.
• Brittany Byrd notched the last points in the half for either team, a three-pointer with just under a minute left to put the Flames deficit back into the single digits. The Flames trailed by nine at the half, 35-26.

Second Half Highlights

• The Flames were unable to get on the board in the second half until Gabryelle Johnson drew a penalty with 5:24 remaining to make it to the charity stripe, making both free throws.
• Following a Flames timeout, Tia Tedford chipped in her first points of the game with a three-point bucket, but a pair of fouls resulted in three more points for the visitors, restoring the 15-point cushion, 46-31.
• The Flames came within eight after a five unanswered points thanks to a three-pointer by Tylah Lampley, and four points from Byrd by way of a layup and two free throws, 46-38. The Flames were unable to gain much ground from that point, trailing 51-42 after three quarters.
• The Flames came alive in the fourth quarter, drawing first blood in the quarter for the first time all game. UIC was still kept at a distance in the first four minutes, trailing by four and six point margins until a Tedford three put the Flames within three, 57-54.
• Trailing 58-54, Toney drove in a layup to put the Flames within two. Johnson thieved the ball and handed it off to Tedford, who laid it up to tie it at 58 all. Toney made a quick grab while still inside the Flames offensive zone to give UIC its first lead since the first quarter, 60-58.
• A trio of fouls set back the Flames, leading to five points and a re-establishing a lead for the Eagles, 65-60. A pair of three-pointers allowed UIC to overcome the deficit and once again claim the lead, and a layup by Johnson put the Flames up by three, 68-65.
• Following an EMU jumper, Johnson went to the line twice, making three of four to give UIC breathing room,71-67, which was short lived due to an Eagle three-pointer.
• The Flames were called back to the bench, with four seconds on the clock and Johnson drew another penalty, making both shots to secure the 73-70 win for UIC.

Facts and Figures

• Friday night's win gave the Flames their first pair of consecutive victories all season, after notching a win on Wednesday afternoon against Indian Northwest.
• The win was the Flames' third-straight victory at home in the UIC Pavilion, their longest streak at home since the 2014-15 season.
• The Flames shot a season best 93 percent from the free throw line, a season best for the team.
• After shooting just under 19 percent in the third quarter, the Flames rallied to shoot just over 60 percent in the fourth. The Eagles ended the game making 49 percent of their total shots, while UIC netted 41 percent of all shots.
• Half of the Flames' field goals made were three pointers (12), while EMU made just seven of 16 attempted threes. Both teams netted 27 points off of turnovers.
• Toney led the Flames in both scoring (18) and assists (6), while Brittany Byrd followed closely with 17 total points.
• Tia Tedford and Gabryelle Johnson both recorded 11 points as the only other two Flames to record double-digit efforts.
• Toney also lead UIC in total rebounds, contributing three for the offense and four on defense for a total of seven. Byrd rebounded five, while Johnson, Tylah Lampley and Teodora Zagorac each recorded four.

Up Next

• The Flames will have a week away from the court before continuing their home stand against Evansville on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 3 p.m. CT.

Highlights