VALPARAISO, Ind. – The UIC women's basketball team (13-9, 5-6 MVC) defeated Valparaiso (4-16, 2-9 MVC) on the road Wednesday night, 55-53.

The Flames were led offensively by their frontcourt of Jaida McCloud and Josie Filer. McCloud scored a team-high 19 points and grabbed five rebounds. Filer netted 16 points and was one rebound away from another double-double.

COACH'S COMMENT- "I'm very pleased, it's always tough to win on the road," Head coach Ashleen Bracey said. "We came in with the mindset that we needed to defend, and we did just that."


FIRST HALF

• The Flames were red-hot right from tip-off, scoring 21 points in the first quarter. Shooting 58.3% from the field, this was the most points the Flames had scored in a quarter since scoring 22 in the fourth quarter against Drake on Jan. 19.
• Keona Schenck went two-for-four from beyond the arc in the first half. She has made a three-pointer in eight of the Flames' 22 games this season.
• After outscoring the Beacons, 21-11 in the first quarter, the Flames put up eight in the second quarter, shooting 25% from the field. They went into halftime leading 29-22.  

SECOND HALF

• McCloud scored 10 of her 19 points in the second half, including six in the fourth quarter. She also grabbed all five of her rebounds over the final 20 minutes. Filer netted nine of her 16 points and recorded five of her nine rebounds in the second half.
• Valparaiso rallied in the fourth quarter, cutting UIC's lead to two with eight seconds left. Off the inbound, Tiana Jackson found McCloud open down at the post for a lay-up to secure the win.
• The Flames broke a five-game road losing streak, having not won on the road since Dec. 4 against Cincinnati.
• UIC remains tied for sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference.  

The Flames finish off their two-game road trip Saturday with a trip down to Springfield, Missouri to take on Missouri State (13-7, 8-3 MVC). Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. and fans can watch the action on ESPN+.