EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The UIC women's basketball team (2-5) snapped a five-game losing streak on Wednesday night with a 62-54 victory over Evansville (1-6). The Flames earned their first road win of the season, as all but one player scored.  

First Half Highlights

• Brittany Byrd got things going quickly for the Flames, sinking a three in the opening seconds and then stealing the ball and returning it for two during Evansville's first possession. The Aces got on the board with a three of their own, but the Flames had already built a 7-3 lead.
• UIC held an 11-5 advantage at the media timeout, but then struggled to score, allowing Evansville to score nine straight and take its first lead of the game, 14-11. Byrd was able to sink a short-range jumper to put the Flames within one at the end of the first, 14-13.
• UIC kicked off the second quarter with a n 8-2 run to reclaim the lead, 21-16. The Purple Aces made a pair of free throws, but a trey from Tatum McCall with a little over a minute and a half remaining created more distance, 24-18.
• Evansville got the last points of the half with a 1-2 showing from the free-throw line, putting the score at 24-19 at halftime.

Second Half Highlights

• The home team took five of the first seven scored in the second half to come within a bucket, 26-24. Byrd ran in a layup, and the two teams traded back-and-forth on threes, rattling off four within a minute, 34-30.
• Evansville was able to tie it at 34, but Jasmine Gaines was able to convert a three-point play to put UIC back on top, 37-34. Taylor Toney sank a buzzer beater from beyond the arc to end the third with an added bonus for the Flames, 42-36.
• The Flames doubled their lead with a 5-0 streak to start the fourth quarter, 46-36. The Aces were able to cut UIC's lead back down to five after a pair of free throws and another three, 48-43, but Toney was able to turn a layup into three points with a foul shot, 51-43.
• Free throws made up 13 of the next 15 points scored on both ends, as the Flames lead was reduced to three, 56-53. A jump ball went to the Flames, and Toney was able to run the ball in for two, making it a two-possession lead, 58-53, with 36 seconds left on the clock. The game was out of reach at that point, as the Flames took it 62-54.

Facts & Figures

• Brittany Byrd led all scorers with 23 points, making 50 percent of her shots. The senior also went 7-of-10 from the charity stripe, tying her personal best.
• Taylor Toney was also in double figures, netting a season-high 18 and shooting 43 percent from the field.
• The Flames have had at least two players score in double digits in their last two contests.
• Both Byrd and Toney were close to a double-double, tallying nine rebounds apiece.
• Jasmine Gaines scored six, her highest in a Flames jersey. She added three rebounds and two assists to her season-high performance.
• Christelle Nyauchi matched her personal best with four rebounds, while also putting in a bucket and handing out one assist for the Flames.
• The Flames had their best shooting from the floor since the season opener, outshooting the Aces 42.3 percent to 28.8 percent.
• The two teams were even on the boards, with Evansville barely edging out the Flames 37-36.
• The Flames were stronger in the paint, 22-16, and were able to capitalize on 14 Evansville turnovers, turning them into 13 points. The Aces got seven off just 12 UIC miscues.

Up Next

• UIC will finish its week in the Hoosier State with Indiana State on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 3 p.m. CT.

Postgame Reaction - Taylor Toney