Nov. 30, 2010
Final Stats
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CHICAGO - Jasmine Bailey (St. Louis, Mo./Normandy H.S.) led all players with 13 points, eight rebounds and six steals as she helped carry the UIC women's basketball team past the visiting Northern Illinois Huskies Tuesday, 50-45.
The game was epitome of a defensive struggle. Both teams were playing well at that end of the floor early. The Flames (4-2) were especially stingy early on in the game as they kept the Huskies (4-3) off the scoreboard completely for the first 8:17 of the game until Brittney Callahan drilled a three-pointer to get her team on the board and cut the UIC lead down to six at 9-3.
Northern Illinois shot 26.9 percent (7-for-26) in the opening half, as the Flames who did not shoot particularly well either at 34.6 percent (9-for-26), took a 26-15 lead at the break.
The Flames continued to struggle offensively in the second half, while the Huskies seemed to turn things around. Kathi Bennett's team reversed its fortune by shooting 52 percent (13-for-25) in the game's final 20 minutes. UIC was not so successful as its field goal percentage dipped to 31.8 percent (7-for-22). However the Flames got key defensive stops when they needed them the most down the stretch.
"We've had a pattern of starting out strong defensively and then fading into the sunset," said UIC head coach Lisa Ryckbosch. "Tonight, we did a good job at the end of getting ourselves back to the point where we could get the stops that we needed. When you don't have your best day offensively, you can still win the game and that's what we did tonight."
The Flames were outrebounded 36-32, however the team's 12 steals played a pivotal part in the Flames second straight win. Bailey was responsible for six of those thefts, falling one shy of tying a career high.
"With the matchups tonight, Jazz [Bailey] had a chance to get out and get very active. When she does that, she does a great job and she's pretty fun to watch," said Ryckbosch.
UIC held the Huskies leading scorer, fifth-year senior Marke Freeman, who entered the contest averaging 17.3 points per game to just two points which didn't come until there was 1:07 left in the ballgame.
Redshirt freshman Katie Hannemann (Homer Glen, Ill./Providence Catholic H.S.) was in double figures for UIC in the second straight game with 10 points, while senior captain Briana Hinkle (Bexley, Ohio/Bexley H.S.) added eight points and a game-high five assists.
The Flames will continue a stretch of five straight games against teams from the Land of Lincoln on Saturday afternoon when they travel to take on the Illinois State Redbirds at 2:05 p.m.
