GREEN BAY, Wis. – The UIC women's basketball team (3-12, 1-10 HL) shot 51.7 percent overall and 53.8 percent from three in the first half to outscore Green Bay (12-6, 11-4 HL), 37-35, but it wouldn't hold up, as the Phoenix cranked up the defense in the second half, holding UIC to just 19 points in the final two periods while putting up 45 second-half points of their own to outlast the Flames, 80-56 on Friday at the Kress Center.

The Flames ended the day with eight threes, seven of which fell in the first half, but the Phoenix poured in 12 shots from beyond the arc, a new opponent season-best, to take down the Flames in the first of the two-game set.

First Half Highlights

• Lindsey Rogers and Kristian Young sank back-to-back jumpers in the first minute and change to put the Flames ahead early, 4-0. The Pheonix fired back with the next seven, 7-4, before another jumper from Young, 7-6.
• Green Bay buried a three, which the Flames immediately got back with a three of their own off the hands of Shelby Case, allowing UIC to remain within one, 10-9. A bucket from Keona Schenck in their next possession put the Flames back in the lead, 11-10.
• Both teams fired off a pair of three pointers, 17-16. Neither team scored in the next two minutes, until Keona Schenck put away a long three for the Flames with 29 seconds left in the frame to give UIC a four-point advantage, 20-16, at the end of the first quarter.
• Young started off the second period with yet another trey for the Flames to extend UIC's lead, 23-16.
• Green Bay went on an 8-0 run over the next three minutes to take over the lead, 24-23, but it was short lived, as Rogers struck again from beyond the arc, 26-24. Tiana Jackson and Rogers followed with more buckets to extend UIC's lead, 30-24.
• The Phoenix pulled back within one on a 7-2 run, 32-31. Schenck fired off her second three of the day with 35 seconds left in the half, but Green Bay was able to sneak in a layup in the final seconds, leaving UIC with a two-point lead at the break, 37-35.

Second Half Highlights

• Green Bay turned the tides with eight unanswered points to start the second half and take back the lead, 43-37.  
• Jada Nneji and Young combined to score six-straight for UIC and bring the game to a tie, 43-43. Still tied at 45, Green Bay fired off back-to-back-to-back threes and kept the Flames scoreless across the final 3:35 to take an 11-point lead at the end of the third quarter, 56-45.
• The Phoenix sank another long shot to kick off their scoring in the fourth quarter, which Young responded to with her third trey of the day and another jumper, 59-51.
• The home team silenced UIC's offensive efforts over the next four minutes while going off on a 15-0 run of their own for a 74-51 lead late in the fourth quarter.
• Nneji ended the draught for the Flames with a jumper, 74-53. Jackson joined in with a jumper with just under a minute and-a-half to go, but it was sandwiched between two more threes for the Phoenix, 80-56.

Facts & Figures

• Freshman Kristian Young led the offense with 17 points, matching her personal best with a trio of threes on the day. Young also brought in four rebounds and made five assists.
• Lindsey Rogers finished with her third straight 14-point showing, shooting 50 percent (6-for-12) overall on the day with a pair of threes. Rogers also made five rebounds and handed out a personal-best three assists.
• Jada Nneji contributed eight points and a team-high seven rebounds. The senior also matched her season-high with four blocks to pull just one block away from UIC's all-time record of 165 career blocks.
• Keona Schenck turned in eight points for the Flames, while Tiana Jackson finished with six points. Jackson also handed out five assists for the offense.
• On the day, UIC shot 42.6 percent (23-for-54) from the field and 36.4 percent (8-for-22) from three. On the other side, Green Bay shot 50 percent (33-for-66) overall while making 46.2 percent (12-for-26) of their shots from beyond the arc.
• Green Bay finished with the advantage in the paint, 40-22. The Phoenix were able to turn UIC's 14 turnovers into 23 points, while the Flames were able to convert Green Bay's 13 miscues into 12 points.
• The home team also had the advantage on the second chance, 20-3. The Phoenix bench outscored UIC's reserves, 24-8. Green Bay also had the advantage in rebounds, 40-24.

Up Next

• The Flames and Phoenix will finish out the series tomorrow at 11 a.m. CT inside the Kress Center.