MILWAUKEE, WIS. (Nov. 12, 2023) – The UIC women's basketball team (2-1) fended off a late Milwaukee (0-2) rally to earn a tough 73-70 road victory over the Panthers Sunday afternoon at the Klotsche Center. It was the Flames' second consecutive win over Milwaukee and their first on the road since the 2013-14 season.
COACHES COMMENT
"Anytime you can get a win on the road is a big deal," said head coach Ashleen Bracey. "Our team is so new to each other, so being able to play in such a close game was a good test for us. It was a good opportunity to play against a very disciplined and solid defense."
FIRST QUARTER (18-18, TIED)
- Each team began the game trading basket-for-basket. After driving the lane to make a lay-up, senior Danyel Middleton (Chicago, Ill./Bolingbrook/Marquette) swished her first three-pointer of the game to give UIC an early 5-4 lead in the first 90 seconds of the game.
- After senior Keimari Rimmer's (Chicago, Ill./Proviso East/DePaul) three-point attempt ricocheted off the backboard, senior Jaida McCloud (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) grabbed her first offensive rebound of the game and nailed the put-back to keep UIC ahead, 9-8.
- Coming off the media timeout, senior Makiyah Williams (Chicago, Ill./Trinity/Marquette) rolled off her Panther defender to bank in a mid-range jumper and keep the Flames ahead, 12-8.
- A late 5-0 Milwaukee run was quieted after Krystyna Ellew (Chicago, Ill./Taft/Wisconsin) connected from beyond the arc on back-to-back possessions as the Flames regained the lead (18-15) before the Panthers tied it up with a three-pointer of their own to end the quarter.
SECOND QUARTER (32-28, UIC)
- Williams ended an early offensive dry spell for UIC, taking a pass from Rimmer and banking in a layup while drawing contact at the 5:45 mark, pulling the Flames within 21-20.
- Coming back from the media timeout, Williams and junior Sandra Frau-Garcia (Pego, Spain/Casper College) each connected on two free throws to extend the Flames' lead to 25-21 with less than four minutes left in the half.
- After a quiet offensive first quarter, senior Dais'Ja Trotter (Louisville, Ky./Seneca/Cincinnati) converted a layup and drew a foul late in the period. Trotter missed the ensuing free throw, but the Flames extended a 9-0 run as Rimmer scored on the offensive put-back, her first make of the game, to keep UIC ahead 29-21.
- McCloud completed a three-point play with two minutes to go in the half and the Flames held off the Panthers to maintain their lead going into halftime.
THIRD QUARTER (57-50, UIC)
- After battling foul trouble in the first half, senior Kristian Young (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) connected with McCloud in the paint for the easy bucket to get UIC on the board (34-28).
- From the top of the key, Rimmer spotted Trotter open cutting on the baseline and whipped a pass to her for the layup to extend the Flames lead to 37-31 at the 7:45 mark.
- After back-to-back threes from the Panthers, Rimmer's second basket of the game put the Flames back in front, 43-42, going into the media timeout.
- Shortly after, Middleton came away with a layup and back-to-back steals on defense, one of them resulting in Frau-Garcia swishing a mid-range jumper to keep UIC ahead, 47-42.
- Trotter followed by connecting from beyond the arc to collect the Flames' fourth three-pointer of the game with 2:13 left in the quarter.
- Rimmer banked another three-point play and Williams knocked down two free throws in the closing moments of the period, before the Flames got a key defensive stop to prevent the Panthers scoring on the final possession.
FOURTH QUARTER (73-70, UIC)
- Williams denied Milwaukee's Angie Cera at the rim in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, collecting the Flames' second block of the game.
- Middleton broke into double figures with 11 points after she scored a fast break layup at the 7:42 mark (59-52 UIC).
- McCloud drew contact while converting a putback of a Middleton miss, giving the Flames a five-point lead nearing the midway point of the final quarter.
- Rimmer knocked down a critical shot to extend UIC's lead to 69-60 with 2:45 remaining in the game.
- After five unanswered points from Milwaukee, McCloud drew another foul and calmly sank both foul shots to give the Flames a 71-65 lead entering the final minute.
- Milwaukee got as close as 71-70 on a three-pointer with nine seconds left, but Middleton was fouled on the in-bounds play and made no mistake by nailing both free throws to rebuild a three-point lead.
- After a Milwaukee timeout, Middleton came away with the defensive play of the game, intercepting a pass from Milwaukee's Kamy Peppler and running out the clock to secure the victory.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- The victory is the first win for UIC at Klotsche Center since Jan. 29, 2014, when the Flames defeated the Panthers, 84-70.
- It's the second consecutive series win for UIC over Milwaukee, the first time the Flames have won back-to-back games over the Panthers since the 2013-14 season, when they swept both matchups while both schools were competing in the Horizon League.
- Middleton's six-steal performance against Milwaukee is new career-high for the senior. She doubled her previous high, when she had three steals against Bradley last February.
- The Flames collected 34 rebounds in the game, with a season-high 21 boards coming on the offensive side.
UP NEXT
After opening their season with three straight road games, the Flames will finally open their home schedule Friday when they play host to Southeast Missouri (1-1) at 7 p.m. (CT) at Credit Union 1 Arena. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at
UICFlames.com.
For more information, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_WBB and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_wbb and @uicflames).
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