March 2, 2006
Box Score
Chicago, Ill. - Sinking a short jumper with less than 40 seconds left in overtime, senior Chrissy Dizon helped the Flames to an 80-78 win over Wright State in quarterfinal action of the Horizon League Tournament Thursday night at the Pavilion. UIC advances to the semifinals where they will match-up against UW-Green Bay at 3:30 pm on Sunday, March 5th at UW-Milwaukee.
"If we play 40 minutes of fundamental basketball against UW-Green Bay, we can beat them," head coach Lisa Ryckbosch said about the semifinal game versus the Phoenix.
UIC's Dizon paced the Flames with 16 points, eight boards and seven assists in her final contest at the UIC Pavilion. LaShonda Grant led UIC with 19 points and Krystal Hugelier added 18 points and four steals in the win. Junior Jacquay Holmes pitched in 16 points and added five boards for the Flames.
Wright State had five players score in double figures with Whitney Lewis leading the Raiders with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Rhea Mays knocked down 18 points and senior Brittany Whiteside posted 13 points on the night.
The Raiders sparked a 14-5 run to start the game, shooting 71.4 percent from the field and hitting two treys. At the 4:30 mark, UIC hit a 10-0 burst to get within three points. On a steal from Krystal Hugelier and a foul on Wright State, the Flames tied the game a 46-46 heading into halftime.
UIC took the lead for the first time in the game on a jumper by sophomore Nicole Rinaldi to kick off the second half. The Flames continued to extend the gap, grabbing a ten-point advantage (65-55) with 11:49 left in regulation, but the WSU hit seven straight points to trail by three.
With less than a minute on the clock, Wright State tied up the game for the seventh time at 75-75, sending the game into overtime.
Scoreless for the first minute of overtime, UIC struck first, hitting three free throw shots. Wright State's Rhea Mays nailed a three pointer with 46 seconds on the clock to tie it up, but Dizon sunk a short jumper to top the Raiders 80-78.
UIC moves to 15-13 on the season and will take on UW-Green Bay on Sunday, March 5th at 3:30 pm at UW-Milwaukee in the semifinals.
