Nov. 18, 2000

Box Score

Chicago, Ill. - The UIC women's basketball team opened the 2000-01 regular season at the UIC Pavilion on Saturday afternoon, but it was Southern Illinois that seemed right at home as they used a second-half surge to down the Flames, 57-40, in front of a rabid Saluki partisan crowd.

The two teams played close to the vest in the first half with the Flames taking a 25-22 lead into intermission. UIC and SIU exchanged the lead five times in the stanza and were tied on six other occasions with no team building a lead greater than four points.

The Flames would score first in the second stanza to take a 27-22 advantage, but it was all Salukis (1-0) from there as they went on a 14-0 run to take a 36-27 lead they would never relinquish. Molly McDowell and Terica Hathaway combined to do the damage as both tallied six points during the run.

"We just didn't rebound the ball in the second half," UIC Head Coach Tim Eatman remarked after the game. "That gave them a lot of second shots. And when they didn't make the second shot, we fouled them. That is how they were 21-of-36 from the line. They only had nine field goals (in the second half)."

UIC, which shot just 30% (13-for-43) from the field and 15% (2-for-13) from behind the three-point line, was led by sophomore guard LeKesha Williams, who finished the night with 13 points. Junior Stesha Rhodes and sophomore Jaysie Chambers each added seven points in defeat.

Holly Teague's 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists paced Southern Illinois. She was just one of four Salukis to finish in double-figures, though, as Kristine Abramowski chipped in 12 and McDowell and Hathaway each added 10.

UIC drops to 0-1 with the loss. The Flames have now lost their last five season lid-lifters and 16 of 20 openers since 1980. UIC will look to even its season record on Tuesday night, Nov. 21, as they travel across town to take on Chicago State at 6:30 p.m.