Nov. 13, 2001

Box Score

Chicago, Ill. - University of Illinois at Chicago women's basketball coach Tim Eatman was not pleased following Monday's pre-game practice prior to Tuesday's exhibition finale against the Chicago Challengers.

The age old adage of you play how you practice proved true on Tuesday as the Challengers held off the Flames for the 82-76 victory at the newly renovated UIC Pavilion.

"We played flat," Eatman said. "We played exactly the way we practiced (on Monday).

"It was good for us in a way," Eatman continued. "It helps us understand if we don't work hard in practice, we're not going to have a successful season."

Junior guard LeKesha Williams led the way for UIC with 22 points, while teammates Stesha Rhodes (17 points), Zsuzsa Tarnai (15 points) and Jaysie Chambers (10 points) each scored in double-figures.

Both team battled back and forth in the first half with the Challengers taking a 40-37 lead at the intermission behind 11 points from forward Kina Brown. Brown finished the contest with a game-high 24 points.

The Challengers took control early on in the second half as they scored 11 of the first 13 points to take a 51-39 behind six points from Briana Fitzgerald (16 points).

The Flames, however, would not go away without a fight as they clawed back to a 63-63 tie, behind 14 points from Williams and eight points from Rhodes.

Chicago quickly countered with an attack of their own, as Ashley Berggren converted a lay-up, Marilyn Bishop (6 points) drained a three-pointer and Brown was fouled for a three-point play to extend the Challengers lead to 71-64.

The Flames, again, put forth a valiant effort and clawed to within 73-71 with 4:05 remaining behind a lay-ups from Chambers and Williams and a three-pointer from Tarnai.

For the game, UIC shot 40 percent from beyond the arc as Tarnai and Williams each drained three treys apiece

"We have a long ways to go," Eatman said. "At least we're a lot further along than we have been in past seasons.

UIC will open the regular season on Friday at the Flames Athletic Center as they will host the Columbia Lions at 7:00 p.m. Friday's game will mark the first athletic event held in the state of the art facility which opened in 1999.