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Danyel Middleton

Women’s Basketball Set For West Palm Beach Classic

Flames will play UTEP and Arkansas in the two-day event.

12/19/2023 3:41:00 PM

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 19, 2023) – The UIC women's basketball team (6-3) finishes nonconference play in the Sunshine State, as one of 10 teams competing at the West Palm Beach Classic Wednesday and Thursday in West Palm Beach, Fla. 

GAME INFORMATION vs. UTEP (4-6) 

Wednesday, Dec. 20 | 10 a.m. CT 

Rubin Arena | Palm Beach Atlantic University | West Palm Beach, Fla.  

PassThaBallLive.com ($) 

Live Stats 

GAME INFORMATION vs. Arkansas (9-3) 

Thursday, Dec. 21 | 10 a.m. CT 

Massimino Court | Keiser University | West Palm Beach, Fla.  

FloHoops ($) 

Live Stats 

SCOUTING UTEP 

  • This will be the second meeting between the Flames and the Miners. UTEP won their first encounter on Dec. 19, 1996, by a 73-58 score. 

  • The Miners come into Wednesday's game having lost three in a row since their most recent victory at home on Nov. 26 against North Alabama, 95-88. 

  • UTEP last played on Dec. 9, dropping a 68-63 overtime decision at home to Portland. 

  • UTEP has the third-best three-point percentage (.321) in Conference USA. The Miners have made 44 three-pointers this season.  

  • Senior forward Jane Asinde ranks second in C-USA in scoring (15.2 ppg.) and rebounding (8.9 rpg.), leading the team in both categories. 

  • Junior guard Delma Zitma ranks third in the conference with 4.0 assists per game this year. 

SCOUTING ARKANSAS 

  • This will be the first time the Flames and the Razorbacks have met on the hardwood. 

  • The Razorbacks have split their last six games since winning their first six games this season. Their biggest win of the season came Nov. 30 against No. 15 Florida State, a 71-58 victory in the ACC-SEC Challenge. 

  • Arkansas leads the SEC with 9.7 made three-pointers per game, connecting on 32% of its shots from beyond the arc.  

  • Freshman Taliah Scott has made her mark offensively in her first season, topping the SEC in points per game (23.2). 

POWER FIVE HEIGHTS 

  • If the Flames walk away victorious against the Razorbacks Thursday morning, this will be the program's first win against a power five opponent since 2013. UIC's last power five victory came against Wisconsin on the road, when the Flames defeated the Badgers 58-56. 

  • This could also be the first victory for the Flames against an opponent from the SEC since their 59-51 win against Mississippi State back on Nov. 27, 1985.  

LAST TIME OUT: CHICAGO STATE 

  • After nearly a month on the road, UIC returned to Credit Union 1 Arena last Friday and defeated Chicago State, 76-46, improving to 3-0 at home this year. 

  • Highlighted by 24-3 second quarter, the Flames held the Cougars to a .267 shooting percentage, the lowest by a UIC opponent this season, and forced 25 CSU turnovers.  

  • Offensively, the Flames were led by graduate student guard Dais' Ja Trotter (Louisville, Ky./Seneca/Cincinnati), who scored 15 points and nabbed 15 rebounds. Graduate student guard Keimari Rimmer (Chicago, Ill./Proviso East/DePaul) and junior forward Makiyah Williams (Chicago, Ill./Trinity/Marquette) each netted 11 points. 

FINDING THE OPEN TEAMMATE 

  • The Flames remain the most efficient team in the Missouri Valley Conference, leading the conference in assists per game (18.89). 

  • Senior guard Kristian Young (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) has a conference-leading 3.4 assist/turnover ratio, ranking 11th in the nation. 

  • After a five-assist performance in the win against Chicago State, Young has tallied 348 assists in her career, ranking seventh in program history.  

  • In her first season at UIC, junior Sandra Frau-Garcia (Pego, Spain/Casper College) ranks second in The Valley with 5.1 assists per game. 

STEALS OF FIRE  

  • The Flames rank 18th in the nation and second in the MVC with 11.89 steals per game.  

  • Four UIC players rank among the top 20 in The Valley in steals: Rimmer (4th/2.2 spg.), Frau-Garcia (5th/2.1), senior forward Danyel Middleton (Chicago, Ill./Bolingbrook/Marquette) (12th/1.8) and Young (17th/ 1.7).  

  • UIC has collected double-digit steals in six games this season, including 15 steals in last week's victory over Chicago State.  

NEED TO KNOW 

Tickets for all UIC home 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 on UIC women's basketball, 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). 

 
  #FireUpFlames | #ChicagosCollegeTeam  

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