CHICAGO (Jan. 31, 2024) – The UIC women's basketball team (12-8, 5-4 MVC) struggled to find its shot Wednesday night, as the Flames fell to Northern Iowa (7-11, 6-3 MVC) 65-43 in front of the home crowd at Credit Union 1 Arena Wednesday night.
Junior forward
Makiyah Williams (Chicago, Ill./Trinity/Marquette) led the Flames with 19 points, while junior guard
Krystyna Ellew (Chicago, Ill./Taft/Wisconsin) collected nine points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench in Wednesday's loss.
FIRST QUARTER (24-14, UNI)
- Senior guard Sara Zabrecky (Munster, Ind./Munster/St. John's) scored the Flames' first points of the night from the charity stripe at the 7:58 mark. UIC went scoreless until 5:48 into the quarter when Williams pulled up for a midrange jumper bringing the score to 9-4.
- Ellew came off the bench and gave her team a much-needed boost, connecting on a jumper and a three-pointer to bring UIC within six (15-9).
- With 25 seconds remaining in the quarter, Ellew slashed to the middle of the lane where Williams found her driving for a pull-up jumper to cut the UNI lead to nine. The junior shot 100-percent from the field in the first frame.
SECOND QUARTER (35-16, UNI)
- Early in the quarter, Williams planted her feet and took a charge against UNI's Grace Boffeli to give the junior her second foul of the evening.
- UIC didn't score until the 8:30 mark in the second quarter, as junior guard Sandra Frau-Garcia (Pego, Spain/Casper College) found classmate Ky Dempsey-Toney (Franklin, NJ/Franklin) cutting to the basket, keeping the Flames within ten (24-14, UNI).
THIRD QUARTER (48-29, UNI)
- The Flames continued to struggle shooting to open the second half, but Williams had an answer for the scoring drought at the 7:03 mark, maneuvering through two defenders on the left side of the hoop for a layup (37-18, UNI).
- Following that play, senior guard Kristian Young (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) forced a back-court turnover, giving her team another chance to score with seven minutes remaining in the quarter.
- Williams scored the first six points of the third quarter. Graduate student forward Keimari Rimmer (Chicago, Ill./Proviso East/DePaul) chipped in with a bank shot in the paint at 4:46, scoring her first points of the game (39-24, UNI).
FOURTH QUARTER (65-43, UNI)
- 44 seconds in to the fourth, Williams connected on a long three-pointer for her 16th point of the game to cut the UNI lead to 18.
- With 2:41 remaining, UNI failed to step up on defense and Frau-Garcia knocked down a shot from beyond the arc, bringing the score to 62-36.
- Senior Tara Green (West Helena, Ark./Central High School/New Orleans) entered the game as a late substitution and made an impact right away. The center made a strong post move, scoring two points (62-38) at 2:09.
- With less than a minute to play, Frau-Garcia showcased her strong defensive ability and came up with a steal and a basket to bring the Flames within 20. The layup was UIC's last basket of the evening.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- Williams was the first player on either team to score in double-figures. She has scored double digits in eight out of the last ten games.
- Ellew played a season-high 28 minutes Wednesday night. She played 26 minutes against Milwaukee on Nov. 26.
UP NEXT
The Flames will stay home and play at Credit Union 1 Arena on Sunday, Feb. 4 for a 1 p.m. (CT) tipoff against Valparaiso (3-15, 2-7 MVC). The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available 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 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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