Feb. 17, 2011
Final Stats
Final Stats in PDF Format
INDIANAPOLIS - The UIC women's basketball team failed to get into a rhythm, both offensively and defensively, on Thursday night as they fell to the Butler Bulldogs at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, 78-57.
Butler (16-10, 10-4 Horizon League) got off to a fast start on Thursday night as they opened the game with four three-pointers to take an early 12-4 lead just 3:33 into the game. UIC (11-13, 6-7 Horizon League) made a small run of its own (7-2) over the next few minutes to cut the deficit to three points at 14-11 with 12:59 to play following a steal and fastbreak lay-up by Briana Hinkle. The Bulldogs were up to the task, however, going on another 14-2 run of their own to make it 28-13 with 8:42 remaining in the opening stanza.
The Flames tried changing up the looks on defense and using different personnel, but nothing seemed to fit in the first half. UIC struggled from the field in the first, while it seemed as if the Bulldogs could not miss. The Flames shot just 36.1-percent (13-for-26) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, while Butler put the ball in at a clip of 55.9-percent (19-for-34). The Bulldogs were red-hot from beyond the arc, connecting on 10-of-14 (71.4-percent) attempts from long distance in the first half.
Alyssa Pittman, who made just her third start of the season for Butler, led all players with 14 points in the first half. Hinkle and Kiara Strickland each had six points to pace UIC as the Bulldogs led at the break, 48-28.
The second half was more of the same for the Flames as they were unable to make much of a dent in the Bulldogs 20-point halftime lead. They would only come as close as 17 points down in the second half, while Butler extended the lead to as many as 29 points on several different occasions.
UIC continued to struggle putting the ball in the basket in the second half, as they shot just 30.8-percent (eight-for-26) in the final 20 minutes to the end the game with a mark of 33.9-percent (21-for-62) from the field.
Butler narrowly outrebounded the Flames, 43-40, en route to its 10th conference victory of the season, while UIC committed one more turnover, 15 to the Bulldogs 14.
Pittman tied a career-high with 23 points in the win for Butler. Shameia Green led the Flames with 14 points, while Kiara Strickland chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds off the bench. Hinkle was also in double figures with 10 points and a game-high four steals.
UIC will conclude the brief two-game trip late Saturday morning when they take on the Valparaiso Crusaders at the Athletics-Recreation Center at 11:05 a.m. The Flames won the first contest between the two teams on Jan. 20 at the UIC Pavilion, 63-42. Jasmine Bailey had 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists to lead UIC to victory that day.
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