CHICAGO – The UIC women's basketball team (2-7, 1-5 HL) dropped another hard-contested battle with Youngstown State (3-3, 3-3 HL) on Saturday afternoon at home. The two teams fought to a tie nine times and traded off on the lead 16 times, but the Flames ultimately fell short, 66-59.

Freshman Kristian Young had a standout performance, tallying a career-high 25 points to go with seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Young's 25 points are the second-highest from an individual player this season.

First Half Highlights

• Kristian Young converted a three-point play for an early 3-2 lead for UIC, but a 9-0 streak for Youngstown State would put the game in their favor, 11-3.
• Young and Amira Coles replied for the Flames, stringing together eight unanswered points to tie the game at 11 with 1:17 left in the first quarter. A pair of free throws and a jumper for the Penguins would finish out the quarter, 15-11.
• A pair of threes for Keona Schenck gave way to a 10-2 run for the Flames in the second, giving them a two-point advantage, 21-19, but it was short lived, as the Penguins took the next six without a response from the Flames, 25-21.
• Tiana Jackson and Shelby Case scored for the Flames to tie the game at 25, but a layup for the Penguins in the final seconds of the second quarter gave them a 27-25 lead at the half.

Second Half Highlights

• Young continued to assert her dominance in the second half, tallying 10 of UIC's 14 points in the frame.
• A pair of threes for YSU gave them a 33-29 advantage, until a three from Young and a jumper from Tiana Jackson gave the Flames the advantage, 34-33.
• Young made all the replies for UIC through the remainder of the third, tacking on five more points in the final four minutes. The Penguins maintained a slim 42-39 lead after the first three frames.
• The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth tale, with four lead changes in the ten-minute span. Trailing by a pair with seven minutes remaining, a three from Young and a pair of free throws from Daijah Smith gave UIC a 5-0 streak and a 49-46 lead.
• The Penguins fired off 13 of the next 18 to hold a five-point advantage over the Flames, until Young was able to make another reply for the Flames, sinking a pair of freebies and a three to tie the game at 59.
• A Youngstown State trey put the game out of reach for good as the Penguins would go on to win it, 66-59.

Facts & Figures

• Keona Schenck was the next-highest scoring Flame, bringing in nine points. The freshman also made three steals on the defensive end.
• Tiana Jackson finished the day with six points and four rebounds.
• Daijah Smith brought in five points for the Flames, while Jada Nneji, Amira Coles and Shelby Case each brought in four.
• Youngstown State had the advantage in shooting overall, making 47.1 percent (24-for-51) of their shots compared to 39.6 percent (21-for-53) for the Flames. UIC was stronger from three, making 42.9 percent (6-for-14) of their longballs compared to just 28.6 percent (6-for-21) for the visitors.
• The two teams were evenly matched at the charity stripe, with the Penguins making 85.7 percent (12-for-14) of their freebies compared to 84.6 percent (11-for-13) for the Flames. UIC's 84.6 percent marks the most efficient outing of the season so far for the Flames from the free-throw line.
• The Penguins put in more in the paint, 36-22. The Flames took 19 points thanks to 20 YSU turnovers, meanwhile the Penguins profited 15 points from UIC's 18 miscues. The two teams' benches tallied an even 13 points.

Up Next

• The Flames will remain at home to host Northern Kentucky Jan. 22-23.

Highlights