Feb. 4, 2000

Box Score

Chicago, Ill. -It was a tale of two halves.

Loyola dominated the first period in its meeting with UIC Friday night at the UIC Pavilion, scoring the games' first eleven points and jumping out to a 38-25 halftime lead. But the Flames rallied in the second stanza, outscoring the Ramblers 48-26 in the half en route to a 73-64 victory.

Elizabeth Dilling keyed Loyola's first-half success, pouring in 19 of her career-high 28 points. Lauren Sirus also contributed, chipping in eight points to help the Ramblers to their 13-point halftime advantage.

The Flames (7-13, 2-5 MCC), who snapped a five-game losing streak with the win, came out firing in the second half, and with 11:36 remaining took a 45-44 lead on an Erin Partaker three-pointer. UIC used an 11-0 run during the span to help close the gap.

Melea Clark, who saw her first action since a neck strain forced her two miss the last two contests, and Kimberly Henry paced UIC's second-half attack. Clark scored 12 of her team-high 18 points in the period while Henry added 11 in the half and finished with 16. LeKesha Williams was the other Flame in double figures on the night with 13.

Defense was the key for UIC as they shot 56 percent (15-for-27) from the field in the second half while Loyola was held to just 29 percent (6-for-21) shooting.

The Ramblers (2-16, 0-7 MCC) were able to convert only two field goals the final 9:30 of the game, but were able to stay alive by hitting 13 free throws in the half.

Loyola actually led 61-60 after Ryan Johnson split a pair from the charity stripe with 4:06 left. But UIC closed the game on a 14-4 run to earn the nine-point victory.

The Flames are back in action on Thursday, Feb. 10, when they welcome Butler to the UIC Pavilion at 4:30 p.m. Earlier this season, the Bulldogs defeated UIC 79-73 in Indianapolis, Ind.