TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (Jan. 28, 2024) – A 30-point third quarter catapulted the UIC women's basketball team (12-7, 5-3 MVC) to a comfortable 76-48 Missouri Valley Conference victory at Indiana State (7-12, 3-6 MVC) on Sunday afternoon at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, ind.
After trailing for most of the first half, the Flames outscored the Sycamores 50-22 in the second half, shooting 65 percent (17-for-26) from the floor and 85 percent (12-for-14) from the free-throw line. UIC also stretched its current winning streak to a season-high four games with Sunday's victory.
The Flames were led offensively by junior forward
Makiyah Williams (Chicago, Ill./Trinity/Marquette), who netted 18 points. Graduate student guard
Keimari Rimmer (Chicago, Ill./Proviso East/DePaul) scored 11 points and added a team-high seven rebounds. Senior forward
Jaida McCloud (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) also tallied 11 points in the game.
COMMENT FROM HEAD COACH ASHLEEN BRACEY
"I'm proud to get a win on the road because they are tough to get in the Valley. Indiana State is a good team. They play hard and make for a really ugly game just because their hands are all over everything. We felt like we got our squad mentally prepared to handle their physicality. (In the) first half, we had an adjustment to it, (in the) second half, we got ourselves collected in the locker room and came out and did what we needed to do."
COMMENT FROM JUNIOR FORWARD MAKIYAH WILLIAMS
"In the third quarter, I just let it come to me. We all did by sharing the ball. We know we all can score, so we just made sure to get the ball to the hot hand."
FIRST QUARTER (12-11, ISU)
- The Flames struck first after the opening tip when senior forward Danyel Middleton (Chicago, Ill./Bolingbrook/Marquette) rolled off her defender in the paint for the layup 21 seconds into the game.
- After the Sycamores had back-to-back baskets, McCloud found senior guard Sara Zabrecky (Munster, Ind./Munster/St. John's) open beyond the arc for the Flames' first three-pointer of the game and a 5-4 UIC lead with 5:41 remaining.
- Junior guard Sandra Frau-Garcia (Pego, Spain/Casper College) weaved around a Sycamore defender to find an open Williams on the block and keep the Flames ahead at 7-6.
- Frau-Garcia collected her second assist of the quarter when she found graduate student guard Dais'Ja Trotter (Louisville, Ky./Seneca/Cincinnati) for the driving layup right before the media timeout. The Flames kept a one-point lead with 3:39 left in the first.
- The Flames' final points came off a pair of free throws from junior guard Krystyna Ellew (Chicago, Ill./Taft/Wisconsin) at the 3:31 mark. UIC also held the Sycamores to four points in the final minutes of the quarter.
SECOND QUARTER (30-26, ISU)
- Back-to-back layups from Middleton kept the Flames within one possession in the first minute of the quarter (ISU 18-15).
- After the Sycamores extended their lead to seven, back-to-back makes in the paint from McCloud kept the Flames within three (22-19) at the 5:56 mark.
- After an 8-0 run from Indiana State stretched the hosts' lead to 11, five consecutive points made by Rimmer started the Flames' comeback with 1:56 left in the half.
- Williams capped off the run for the Flames with a layup at the 1:07 mark before fending off the Sycamores on the defensive end to close out the first half.
THIRD QUARTER (56-36, UIC)
- Two minutes into the second half, senior guard Kristian Young (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) poked the ball loose from Indiana State's Ella Sawyer for the steal and drew the foul to force the turnover. The very next play, Young drove the lane uncontested for the layup to give UIC its first lead since the first quarter, 31-30 at the 7:56 mark.
- A layup from Rimmer pushed the Flames' lead to seven as the media timeout was called with 4:53 remaining in the third quarter.
- Coming out of the timeout, Rimmer heaved a pass to the corner to an open Trotter for the Flames' second three-pointer, capping a 14-0 run at the 4:29 mark (40-30).
- In the final three minutes of the quarter, Williams couldn't be stopped offensively, scoring 12 points, including a layup just before the buzzer sounded.
FOURTH QUARTER (76-48, UIC)
- Zabrecky found space beyond the arc for her second three-pointer of the game, as the Flames moved ahead, 61-38 with 8:52 left on the clock.
- Rimmer found space to shoot a hook shot outside of the paint, banking it off the glass to become the second UIC player to score in double digits as the Flames stretched their lead to 67-44 at the 4:21 mark.
- Frau-Garcia collected her seventh and final assist of the game when she found senior center Tara Green (West Helena, Ark./Central/New Orleans) open inside for an easy basket.
- Young closed out the game with by going 5-for-6 from the charity stripe in the final 24 seconds.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- This four-game winning streak is the second-longest under second-year head coach Ashleen Bracey, who led UIC to five consecutive wins from Nov. 22-Dec. 4, 2022.
- This is the second consecutive win at the Hulman Center for the Flames. They also defeated the Sycamores in Terre Haute, 56-50 back on Feb. 19, 2023.
- This is the third time this season the Flames have held their opponent to less than 50 points (and their first against an MVC opponent).
- UIC shot .538 from the field (28-for-52) against the Sycamores, the Flames' best against an MVC opponent this season.
UP NEXT
The Flames return home to Credit Union 1 Arena Wednesday for a 6 p.m. (CT) tipoff against Northern Iowa (6-11, 5-3 MVC). This game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at
UICFlames.com.
This game is the rescheduled Jan. 12 game from earlier in the season. Fans who purchased tickets for the original contest can use those tickets for the rescheduled game. If original ticket holders are unable to attend on the new game date, they can exchange their tickets for any other UIC women's basketball home game this season by contacting the UIC Athletics Ticket Office (312-413-UIC1/athleticsticketing@UIC.edu) or visiting the Credit Union 1 Arena box office.
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 one more home game this season — 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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