Nov. 23, 2010
Final Stats
Box Score in PDF Format
CHICAGO - Through the first ten-plus minutes, it was a classic matchup between cross-town rivals anyone's ballgame, but DePaul shot the lights out in the second half and sent the UIC women's basketball team home with its second loss of the season, 87-66.
DePaul (4-1) shot 57.1 percent (36-for-63) for the game, while limiting the Flames (2-2) to just 36.7 percent (22-for-60) from the field. The bigger Blue Demons squad also outmuscled UIC in the paint, outscoring them 36-28.
"They hit shots and we didn't," said UIC head coach Lisa Ryckbosch after the game. "One of the things we did really well against BYU is when we had our opportunities, we converted. I can't even tell you how many lay-ups we missed tonight and to be able to compete against a team like DePaul, you have to put it in the basket."
The two teams traded buckets for much of the early part of the first half. Taylor Foulks hit a pair of three-pointers, while Keisha Hampton scored 11 of her team's first 20 points as the teams were knotted at 20 midway through the opening half. After that, the Flames went cold, connecting for just seven points in the remainder of the half, while the Blue Demons rattled off 17 points in the same span to take a ten-point lead at the half, 37-27.
Felicia Chester joined Hampton in double figures with 10 points in the break, while Foulks led UIC with eight. Shameia Green did not score in the first half, however the 5-foot-7 guard tied the 6-foot-3 Chester with a game-high five rebounds.
The Flames were held to 34.9 percent from the field in the first half, while DePaul made baskets at a 44.1 percent clip.
An old fashioned three-point play by UIC's Katie Hannemann sliced the lead to 44-39, however a 9-2 run capped by a lay-up from the Blue Demons Katherine Harry extended the lead to 12 at 53-41 with 12:52 to play which prompted a timeout by Ryckbosch. The stoppage didn't do much to slow DePaul's momentum as they opened up another run, this time 20-8 over the next 6:01 to extend the lead to 73-49 with 6:51 left in the game.
The Blue Demons seemed to catch fire, sinking seven of their first 10 shots in the second half, while UIC began the half 4-for-14 (28.6 percent).
The Flames did appear to rectify one early season issue by cutting down on their turnovers. UIC committed only 11 miscues in the game after entering the contest by averaging over 20 through the first three tilts.
"I think we did a better job taking care of the basketball, but again, we just couldn't get anything to fall," said Ryckbosch.
Hampton led all players with 21 points in the game, while Briana Hinkle was the high scorer for the Flames with 15 points, leading four UIC players in double figures. Kiara Strickland had a career-high 12 points, while Foulks and Jasmine Bailey each chipped in with 11.
Chester, Green and Bailey all tied with a game-high eight rebounds. DePaul's Anna Martin led all players with seven assists in the game.
The Flames will hit the road for the second time this season on Saturday when they take to Ohio to face the Dayton Flyers in a non-conference game at 1 p.m. CT. A live audio broadcast of the game will be available on UICFlames.com at 12:45 p.m. Justin Weiner will have the call.
