CLEVELAND – The UIC women's basketball team (1-11, 0-1 HL) put on a balanced offensive effort in its Horizon League opener, with six Flames recording five or more points, as UIC fell 84-44 to Cleveland State (11-1, 1-0 HL) Saturday afternoon.

First Half Highlights

• The Flames won the tip and cashed it in from downtown for an early 3-0 lead. Cleveland State took the next five for a 5-3 advantage, which UIC matched with a trip to the free throw line by Tylah Lampley.
• Amira Coles answered a Viking layup to tie the game at seven, but Cleveland State turned in eight unanswered points to close out the first quarter with a 15-7 advantage.
• The Vikings turned up the defensive pressure, forcing four UIC turnovers in the first three minutes and keeping the Flames without a score for nearly the first five minutes of the second quarter. Cleveland State's offense grew its lead in the meantime, 24-7. Jealissa Presswood snapped the home team's streak with a jumper, 24-9.
• The tides turned as the Flames kept the Vikings without a field goal for over five minutes, limiting them to just six free throws. Kimeira Burks put together six points for the Flames, while Lampley and Coles also scored in that stretch, 30-19.
• The first half finished with a pair of free shots from Abreanna Lake, 32-21.

Second Half Highlights

• Cleveland State opened the second half with a three, but the two teams traded buckets through the first half of the third period to keep the margin nearly the same, 39-27. The Vikings ended the back-and-forth with a 6-0 series to add cushion to their lead, 45-27.
• Jada Nneji took care of UIC's scoring over the next two minutes, turning in seven points for the Flames, 52-34. The Vikings picked up the next five points off a layup and a triple, 57-34. The Flames were able to get three of those points back with free throws from Lake and Lampley, 57-37.
• Cleveland State once again pushed its lead past 20 with a late layup to end the third quarter, 59-37.
• The Vikings took 16 points unanswered to start the final quarter, 75-37. Shelby Case got on the board for the Flames and Burks put away a trey, 75-42. Case was able to drive in another layup, but the Vikings finished the game with a pair of threes, 84-44.

Facts & Figures

• Kimeira Burks led UIC's balanced attack with nine points. The freshman also finished with a team-high six rebounds.
• Tylah Lampley tallied eight points and five rebounds for the Flames, while also handing out two assists and making a block.
• Jada Nneji finished with seven points and matched Burks's team-high rebounds with six.
• Amira Coles brought in a personal-best six points.
• Jealissa Presswood collected five points and also handed out a pair of assists. Abreanna Lake also finished with five points.
• UIC shot 30.2 percent from the floor compared to 49.2 percent for the home team. The Flames made 20 percent of their shots beyond the arc, compared to 36 percent by the Vikings. Cleveland State was also stronger from the charity stripe, making 77.3 percent of its shots compared to 52.6 percent for UIC.
• The Vikings scored more in paint, 34-18. They turned 28 Flames turnovers into 33 points, while UIC brought home 13 points off 18 Cleveland State miscues.
• The Flames tallied more off the second chance, 12-8. The Viking bench outscored UIC's 27-10.

Up Next

• UIC's first Horizon League road trip continues against Youngstown State on Monday, Dec. 30 at 6 p.m. CT.