NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 30, 2023) – In its first Missouri Valley Conference game of the season, the UIC women's basketball team fell to Belmont 69-61 in a hard-fought contest Saturday afternoon. Tied at 50 with 1:24 remaining in the third quarter, the Bruins went on a 19-11 scoring run over the final 11 minutes of the game to defeat the Flames. With the loss UIC moves to 7-5 on the season and 0-1 in conference play.
Graduate student guard
Keimari Rimmer (Chicago, Ill./Proviso East/DePaul) led the Flames with 21 points, shooting nine of 11 from the floor and two of three from behind the arc. Her team-high four steals tied a season-high, which she set earlier this month against Chicago State (Dec. 15). Forward
Makiyah Williams (Chicago, Ill./Trinity/Marquette) was the other Flame to score in double figures, as the junior finished with ten points.
COACHES' COMMENT
"We definitely competed," said head coach
Ashleen Bracey. "However, we had some lapses here and there. I think in order to win on the road in the Valley against the defending conference champs, you have to put 40 minutes together. Collectively, we need to keep our foot on the gas, and get ready for Southern Illinois and Missouri State next week."
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FIRST QUARTER (19-16, BEL)
- Rimmer started the scoring for both teams, hitting a three pointer 30 seconds after tip-off.
- The graduate student continued to score in the paint, contributing 11 points early on for the Flames. UIC finished the afternoon with 34 points in the paint.
- As the clock wound down, Sandra Frau-Garcia (Pego, Spain/Casper College) connected on a corner three at the buzzer to cut the deficit to three at the end of the quarter.
SECOND QUARTER (36-33, UIC)
- Down 27-21 with 4:45 left in the half, senior guard Danyel Middleton (Chicago, Ill./Bolingbrook/Marquette) drove to the lane, attracting two defenders and found Frau-Garcia on the block for an easy lay-in to cut the Belmont lead to four.
- With 4:45 left in the half, Middelton was fouled and the basket counted, making the score 27-23 going into media timeout with 4:45 left in the second quarter.
- Williams came down a few possessions later after a block on the defensive end and pulled up for a three in transition, bringing the Flames within one (27-26) with less than four minutes left in the half.
- Down 33-30, Sara Zabrecky (Munster, Ind./Munster/St. John's) came up with a big defensive stop, as she planted her feet in the paint and took a charge.
- With 40 seconds left in the half, UIC tied the game at 33 after Rimmer connected on a three point play following an offensive rebound, layup and made free throw.
- The Flames took the three-point lead going into halftime after Dais'Ja Trotter (Louisville, Ky./Seneca/Cincinnati) sank a three at the buzzer.
THIRD QUARTER (53-50 BEL)
- Rimmer scored back-to-back layups within the first minutes of the third, extending the Flames' lead to 40-33, their biggest lead of the night.
- Junior guard Krystyna Ellew (Chicago, Ill./Taft/Wisconsin) got an easy bucket at the block after a dish from Frau-Garcia with 3:45 left in the third quarter to give UIC the 46-42 lead.
- Up 47-46, Ellew extended the UIC lead to four after setting her feet for a corner three with less than three minutes left in the quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER (69-61, BEL)
- 26 seconds in to the final quarter, senior forward Jaida McCloud (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) cleaned up a missed three from Trotter and scored in the paint to keep the Flames within one (53-52).
- With 6:10 left in regulation, Rimmer stole the ball for an easy lay-in on the opposite end cut the Belmont lead to 60-54. The graduate student recorded another steal on Belmont's next offensive possession.
- Down 67-58, Williams hit a crucial three pointer with 30 seconds remaining to bring the Flames within ten. However, the clock was on the Bruins side as the Flames found themselves down three possessions with only 15 seconds left. Belmont tacked on two late free throws to come away with the eight point victory.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- The Flames outscored their opponent's bench for the 13th game in a row, posting a 21-9 advantage over the Bruins reserves.
- There were five lead changes throughout the contest, with the score being tied six times Saturday.
- UIC scored 14 second chance points compared to Belmont's four. Half of the Flames' second chance points came in the second quarter.
- Seven Flames played more than 20 minutes in Saturday's contest with 11 UIC student-athletes seeing the court. McCloud led UIC with 29 minutes played.
UP NEXT
The Flames kick off the 2024 calendar year by heading to Carbondale, Ill. to face Southern Illinois on Jan. 4. Thursday's contest against the Salukis is the second game of UIC's season-long three-game conference road trip. The contest from the Banterra Center will start at 6 p.m. and fans can stream the action on ESPN+. Live stats will be accessible at UICFlames.com.
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).
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