Jan. 20, 2011

Final Stats

Final Stats in PDF Format

CHICAGO - All-Horizon League First Team honoree Jasmine Bailey returned to top form to help lead the UIC women's basketball team over the visiting Valparaiso Crusaders on Thursday night, 63-42.

For the Flames (8-9, 3-3 Horizon League) the win was their fifth straight at the UIC Pavilion dating back to a non-conference victory over the Northern Illinois Huskies on Nov. 30. Equally as important, the victory snapped a three-game losing streak and evened UIC's Horizon League record at three wins and three losses this season.

The home winning streak is the longest for the Flames since they opened the 2008-09 campaign with five straight wins at the Pavilion.

The Flames controlled the first 12 minutes of the game for the most part, building a half-high 10-point advantage at 23-13 following a second straight three-pointer from redshirt freshman Erin Higgins with 7:21 to go in the opening frame. The next 5:39 saw the Crusaders (3-15, 0-6 Horizon League) claw their way back and slice the deficit to one point at the two minute mark after Ashley Timmerman nailed her third triple of the half to make it 23-22. UIC was held scoreless until sophomore Taylor Foulks hit her second three-pointer of the half to extend the lead back to four points. A lay-up in the paint by Cree Nix as time expired gave the Flames a 28-22 lead at the half.

Nix led UIC with eight points off the bench in the first half. As a team, the Flames shot 55.6-percent (five-for-nine) from beyond the arc in the first half. UIC also recorded an assist on nine of 11 first-half baskets; Shameia Green led the way with four helpers for the home team.

The Flames pulled away in the second half and outscored the Crusaders 35-20 in the final 20 minutes.

Bailey and Timmerman tied with a game-high 15 points. Bailey also notched seven rebounds and tied a season-high with four assists. Briana Hinkle and Nix were also in double figures for the Flames with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

"The player of the game has got to be Jasmine Bailey," said head coach Lisa Ryckbosch. "Jazz is back. What was so impressive about what she did is not just that she got 15 points, but I thought the four assists were huge, she crashed the boards and didn't force anything.

"We got a lot of balance tonight and a lot of people did a lot of good things to get this nice win."

The Flames will wrap up the brief two-game homestand this Saturday when they host the Butler Bulldogs at 3 p.m. Butler comes in as one of two undefeated teams in the Horizon League after knocking off Loyola earlier tonight, 64-60, Rogers Park.