YPSILANTI, Mich. – The UIC women's basketball team (1-1) flexed its young strength on Sunday afternoon, taking a 66-62 win on the road over Eastern Michigan (1-1). The win marks the Flames' first since Jan. 30, snapping a 10-game skid dating back to last season.

UIC bounced back from some early shooting woes in the first period to eventually lead by as many as eight in the early stages of the third quarter. The Flames were able to keep a fighting Eastern Michigan squad at bay through the remainder of the game, sealing the deal on a trip to the charity stripe from Daijah Smith with 14 seconds left on the clock.

UIC's freshmen were the stars of the show, led by a 16-point performance from freshman Keona Schenck behind 4-of-8 shooting beyond the arc. Freshman Kristian Young turned in the first double-double for the Flames of the season, tallying 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

First Half Highlights

• Jaida McCloud got UIC on the board first, but Eastern Michigan took the next eight unanswered to take an 8-2 lead into the first media timeout.
• Daijah Smith entered the game and quickly got on the board for the Flames, registering a layup and a pair of free throws, 12-6.
• A triple and a pair of freebies from Keona Schenck wrapped up UIC's scoring in the first quarter, as the home team owned an 18-11 lead after the first 10 minutes.
• Another trey from Schenck started things off for the Flames in the second. She later added a jumper, as did Tiana Jackson, reducing EMU's lead to four, 22-18.
• UIC continued its attack out of the media timeout, eventually taking 11 points without a response from EMU to take over the lead, 25-22.
• The Eagles took back the advantage with a pair of layups, but the lead continued to change hands through the remainder of the half.
• A buzzer-beater three from Smith finished out the half and allowed UIC to take a 36-32 lead into the locker room.
• After experiencing some shooting woes in the first quarter, the Flames were able to bounce back in the second, shooting 64.7 percent (11-of-17) while keeping Eastern Michigan to 38.9 percent (7-of-18) in the second frame.

Second Half Highlights

• Jackson followed up a layup with a three to give UIC its largest lead, 43-35, with 7:38 remaining in the third.
• A 5-0 run for the Eagles reduced the Flames' lead to three, 43-40, until McCloud joined the triples club with a three of her own to double the distance, 46-40.
• Eastern Michigan threatened late in the third quarter with a pair of layups in the final two minutes to pull within two, 48-46, but a jumper from Kristian Young with 0:19 left on the clock put UIC's lead back at four at the end of the third period, 50-46.
• The Eagles tied the game at 50 with just under eight minutes remaining, but Schenck struck again with her third triple of the day, 53-50. Eastern Michigan would get two back at the free-throw line, but it was Schenck again, drilling another long three to keep the Flames ahead, 56-52.
• UIC continued to keep EMU at bay with a pair of layups from Jada Nneji, 60-55, with just under four minutes remaining.
• The Flames were protecting a two-point lead late, 64-62, when a heads-up play by the Eastern Michigan defense gave them the ball with 20 seconds left to play.
• A costly turnover gave the ball back to UIC with 17 seconds remaining, and a foul on Daijah Smith with 14 seconds left on the clock sent her to the line where she sealed the deal for the Flames, who would go on to win it 66-62.

Facts & Figures

• For the second-straight game, UIC had four players reach double figures. Daijah Smith impressed in her Flames debut, turning in 14 points, while Jaida McCloud registered double-digits in her second-straight game with 14 points of her own.
• Kristian Young's 11 points and 12 rebounds marks the first double-double by any Flame so far this season. It was also Young's second straight double-digit performance.
• UIC's defense held Eastern Michigan without a three-pointer for the entirety of the game (0-for-15), while shooting 31.8 percent (7-for-22) beyond the arc themselves. Keona Schenck's four threes are the most by a UIC player since Kimeira Burks sank four threes on Jan. 17, 2020 at Milwaukee.
• The Flames had the advantage in shooting, making 44.6 percent (25-of-56) of their shots compared to 41.5 percent (27-of-65) for Eastern Michigan. UIC also saw improvement at the free-throw line, outshooting the Eagles 56.3 percent (9-of-16) to 47.1 percent (8-of-17).
• UIC was also stronger on the boards, tallying 41 rebounds to EMU's 37.
• Eastern Michigan was stronger in the paint, outscoring the Flames 52-34. The Flames forced 21 turnovers and were able to cash in 20 points, while the Eagles took 22 off UIC's 31 miscues. Both teams registered 12 second chance points, but UIC's bench outscored the home team's, 18-8.
• With the win, UIC snaps a two-game losing streak against Eastern Michigan and improves to 5-10 all-time against the Eagles.

Up Next

• The Flames will make their home debut on Wednesday, Dec. 2 when they square off with city-rival Chicago State.