GREEN BAY, Wis. (Dec. 13, 2023) – The UIC women's basketball team (5-3) held a one-point lead late in the third quarter, but couldn't hold on down the stretch, as Green Bay (6-3) rallied for a 64-56 win on Wednesday night at the Kress Events Center.
Junior forward Makiyah Williams (Chicago, Ill./Trinity/Marquette) and senior Danyel Middleton (Chicago, Ill./Bolingbrook/Marquette) each scored a team-high 12 points for the Flames, who battled hard for the full 40 minutes against a Green Bay team that was receiving votes in both major national polls this week.
UIC finished with a decisive 41-24 rebounding advantage against the Phoenix and held the hosts to 2-of-18 (.111) from the three-point line.
COACH'S COMMENT
"I'm really proud of how my squad competed on the road," said head coach Ashleen Bracey. "Road games are tough and I have a lot of respect for Green Bay. This is a storied program (and) they have had success for a long time, so to come in here and compete with them — I'm really pleased. We have work to do, though. We're putting a group of returners and newcomers together, so we're working every day to build our chemistry and discipline, but we'll keep getting better."
FIRST QUARTER (13-13, TIED)
- Graduate student guard Dais'Ja Trotter (Louisville, Ky./Seneca/Cincinnati) stole the ball for the easy make to give UIC an early 5-2 lead less than three minutes into the game.
- After grabbing a defensive rebound, Middleton got open beyond the arc for the Flames' first three-pointer of the game to give UIC a one-point lead entering the media timeout (10-9).
- Senior center Tara Green (West Helena, Ark./Central/New Orleans) dished it out to Williams, who connected from the perimeter to keep UIC ahead, 13-11 with 2:21 left in the quarter.
- With 14.6 seconds left, Green Bay's Bailey Butler aimed to capitalize on the last possession, but air-balled the hook shot, thanks to the lockdown defense of junior guard Sandra Frau-Garcia (Pego, Spain/Casper College) to keep it tied after the first 10 minutes of play.
SECOND QUARTER (25-25, TIED)
- After back-to-back makes from the Phoenix, junior forward Ky Dempsey-Toney (Franklin, N.J./Franklin) used a second-chance opportunity to convert three-point play and pull the Flames within 19-18.
- Green Bay's Maddy Schreiber attempted to drive the lane, but Middleton drew the charge as the media timeout was called with less than four minutes in the half.
- A two-minute offensive dry spell on the court for both teams finished with Williams finding junior guard Krystyna Ellew (Chicago, Ill./Taft/Wisconsin) open in the paint to tie it up at 21.
- After Ellew's second make of the quarter, Frau-Garcia found Williams in the lane to give UIC a 25-21 lead at the 1:40 mark.
THIRD QUARTER (47-41, GB)
- The Flames started the second half cold before a three pointer from senior guard Sara Zabrecky (Munster, Ind./Munster/St. John's) at the 4:46 mark pulled UIC within five points at 35-30.
- Graduate student guard Keimari Rimmer (Chicago, Ill./Proviso East/DePaul) converted her first basket of the game on a physical layup as the media timeout was called (39-34).
- After a steal from Rimmer, Middleton drew contact driving the lane, sinking her layup and completing the three-point play to tie it up at 39 with 2:31 left in the quarter.
- Rimmer made UIC's fifth triple of the night when Frau-Garcia found her open, giving UIC its first lead of the quarter at 42-41 with 90 seconds remaining.
FOURTH QUARTER (64-56, GB)
- Frau-Garcia found Trotter open in the paint for the graduate transfer's second layup of the half as UIC trailed by seven with eight minutes left in the game (51-44).
- Frau-Garcia connected with Middleton on an inbound pass for her fourth assist in the game as the Flames' deficit trimmed to 10 points halfway through the quarter.
- Williams became the first UIC player in double figures when she drew a foul from Callie Genke on a made layup and converted the three-point play to give her 12 points.
- In the closing seconds, Rimmer sank back-to-back layups to get the Flames within nine with 47 seconds to go.
- Middleton sank her second three-pointer seconds before the final buzzer went off to also finish the game with 12 points.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- Earning her first start of the season, Dempsey-Toney posted season highs in points (seven), field goals made (three) and rebounds (six).
- With a team-high five assists on Wednesday, Frau-Garcia has now led the Flames in assists in four games this season. The junior leads the Missouri Valley Conference at 5.1 assists per game.
- Middleton's 12-point performance was her 13th double-digit scoring game since coming to UIC before last season. She has five games this season with 10-plus points.
- The Flames' bench has yet to be outmatched, outscoring Green Bay's reserves, 28-11.
UP NEXT
The Flames return home to Credit Union 1 Arena for the first time in close to a month when they play host to crosstown foe Chicago State (0-16) Friday for a 7 p.m. (CT) tipoff.
Tickets for all UIC basketball games can be purchased online through
Ticketmaster and
UICFlames.com/Tickets, as well as through the UIC Athletics Ticket Office (312-413-UIC1) or by visiting the Credit Union 1 Arena box office on game night.
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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