CHICAGO (Jan. 19, 2024) – The UIC women's basketball team (9-7, 2-3 MVC) used a big second-half performance and some timely free throw shooting to defeat Bradley, 75-68 in a Missouri Valley Conference matchup on Friday night at Credit Union 1 Arena.
Four Flames scored in double figures, led by graduate student guard
Dais'Ja Trotter (Louisville, Ky./Seneca/Cincinnati) and senior guard
Danyel Middleton (Chicago, Ill./Bolingbrook/Marquette), who each scored 13 points. Graduate student guard
Keimari Rimmer (Chicago, Ill./Proviso East/DePaul) added 12 points and senior guard
Sara Zabrecky (Munster, Ind./Munster/St. John's) contributed 11 points for UIC.
COMMENT FROM HEAD COACH ASHLEEN BRACEY
"I'm proud of the team for the win, getting wins in the Valley is always tough. We had a slow start again, so we're going to have to get that figured out. I'm most proud of how they battled through it though, it wasn't clean for us, it was tough to find flow, and they were hot early, but we didn't hang our heads. We fought through and made the adjustments."
COMMENT FROM GRADUATE STUDENT KEIMARI RIMMER
"It's easy to score with great facilitators because you they are going to hit you and you know they trust you to get that assist. So, them being open minded and selfless enough to pass the ball and make the extra pass, that's all you can ask for in a teammate."
COMMENT FROM GRADUATE STUDENT DAIS'JA TROTTER
"We're blessed to have guards that are able to find the open man. I love being able to play with people who share the ball."
FIRST QUARTER (17-14, Bradley)
- After an early 4-0 start for Bradley, Rimmer took the ball to the hole for UIC's first basket with 8:28 left in the quarter.
- Junior forward Makiyah Williams (Chicago, Ill./Trinity/Marquette) came into the game and made a strong move to the basket at 5:41 to put an end to Bradley's four-point run (12-8).
- With 2:47 left, junior guard Sandra Frau-Garcia (Pego, Spain/Casper College) tipped the ball free, creating a fast break opportunity, which Trotter converted to make it 15-10.
- Seven UIC players scored a basket in the first 10 minutes of play.
SECOND QUARTER (33-31, Bradley)
- Middleton set the tone for UIC, sinking a jump shot 15 seconds into the quarter to bring the Flames within one (17-16).
- On the next UIC possession, Middleton drove in the paint and found Rimmer under the basket for an easy two points, giving the Flames the lead at 18-17 just one minute into the period.
- The Flames and Braves exchanged baskets, until a jumper from junior guard/forward Ky Dempsey-Toney (Franklin, N.J./Franklin) put UIC back in front at the 3:27 mark (26-24).
- In the final seconds of the quarter, Frau-Garcia connected on a three pointer, bringing the Flames within 33-31 at halftime.
THIRD QUARTER (50-46, UIC)
- Bradley came out in a zone defense, but UIC moved the ball inside-out and found Zabrecky in the corner beyond the arc to give the Flames a 34-33 lead with 9:12 left.
- As the teams continued to trade the lead, Dempsey-Toney evened the score at 38-38, just before the midway point of the quarter, snatching an offensive rebound and finishing through the foul for the "and-one."
- Trotter came down the next possession and connected on a transition three, putting the Flames ahead, 42-39.
- Rimmer and senior forward Jaida McCloud (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) continued to control the paint on the offensive end late in the third quarter, grabbing offensive rebounds and drawing fouls to go to the free throw line.
- Bradley tied the score at 46-46 with just over one minute left, but Zabrecky remained hot, knocking down a last-second three to help give the Flames a 50-46 lead.
FOURTH QUARTER (75-68, UIC)
- Middleton hit a three-pointer just 45 seconds into the fourth quarter and forced a Bradley timeout as UIC's lead extended to 53-46.
- After a Bradley basket, Zabrecky hit her third three-pointer with 8:44 to play, capping a 10-2 Flames run that made it 56-48.
- Creating a turnover off a full-court press, Frau-Garcia found Middleton slashing through the lane and she drew a pair of free throws, sinking both to bring the score to 64-58 with 5:10 left.
- After the Braves drew as close as three points, Rimmer finessed her way around a Bradley post player to find Dempsey-Toney rolling to the basket (69-64) with 2:25 remaining in the game.
- The Flames were able to stop any comeback attempts from the Braves late in the game, making all six of their free throws in the final two minutes (four by Middleton, two by Frau-Garcia).
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- The Flames are now 3-0 against Bradley in Bracey's two seasons as UIC head coach.
- For the second game in a row, UIC set a season best from the free throw line, going 18-for-21 (.857, including 10-of-12 (.833) in the fourth quarter.
- All but two players that saw action on Friday night recorded at least one assist. It's the sixth game the Flames recorded 20 or more assists this season.
UP NEXT
The Flames will be back at Credit Union 1 Arena Sunday for a 1 p.m. (CT) MVC game against Illinois State. It will be UIC's annual Play4Kay Game, supporting the nationwide initiative to raise funds and find a cure for all cancers affecting women. Fans can also elevate their gameday experience with a pass to the Courtside Club at Credit Union 1 Arena, with details outlined below. Sunday's game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats at
UICFlames.com.
TICKETS AND MORE
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 day.
The Courtside Club will return for two more home games this season —Sunday against Illinois State and Feb. 4 against Valparaiso. Club members will receive a number of perks including early arena access, unlimited refreshments (including complimentary beer and wine) and a private lounge space with flat-screen televisions and theater-style furniture.
For more information or to purchase Courtside Club passes, contact the UIC Athletics Ticket office (312-413-8421;
athleticsticketing@uic.edu) or send a request through the Courtside Club page at
UICFlames.com. Passes may also be purchased on game days through the Credit Union 1 Arena box office or the Courtside Club entrance located on the event level.
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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