CHICAGO– The UIC Women's basketball team (12-8, 4-5 MVC) began their two-game homestand with a 52-38 victory against Bradley (3-17, 0-9 MVC) Friday night at Credit Union 1 Arena.

The Flames were led offensively by Jaida McCloud, who scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Ky Dempsey-Toney and Sara Zabrecky each netted eight points and five rebounds apiece.

COACH'S COMMENT– "When you get to playing two games a week, and you get little prep time, you get away from the things that got you to where you were at," said Flames Head Coach Ashleen Bracey. "For us that was diving on the floor for loose balls and taking charges. That's pressuring the full court, so this week in practice we got to focus on a lot of those things, and I thought that showed tonight when we held them to 38 points. That's where this team thrives."


FIRST HALF

• The Flames had their strongest defensive half of the season in the first half against the Braves. UIC held Bradley to two points in the second quarter, and nine points in the half.
• The Flames offense had a strong first quarter, shooting 55.6% from the floor. 5-for-9 from the field.
• UIC also kept Bradley off the foul line. The Braves didn't attempt a single free throw in the first half.

SECOND HALF

• McCloud's had a strong second half production-wise, scoring 13 of her 20 team-high points across the game's final 20 minutes.
• Zabrecky grabbed three rebounds in the second half to tie her season-high of five boards. She reached the mark originally on Nov. 22 in UIC's win against Davidson.
• After being outscored 15-11 in the third quarter, the Flames outscored the Braves in the fourth, 15-14.

The Flames aim to maintain their momentum Sunday when they host Illinois State (14-5, 8-1 MVC). Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. You can watch the action on ESPN+.