CARBONDALE, Ill. (Jan. 4, 2024) – Senior center
Tara Green (West Helena, Ark./Central/New Orleans) scored 21 of her season-high 23 points in the second half, as the UIC women's basketball team (8-5, 1-1 MVC) bounced back in the final 20 minutes to earn a 66-59 Missouri Valley Conference victory over Southern Illinois (5-7, 0-2 MVC) Thursday night at the Banterra Center in Carbondale, Ill.
Green led all scorers with 23 points, grabbed nine rebounds and went 7-for-8 from the free throw line, including 4-for-4 in the final 30 seconds. Junior forward
Makiyah Williams (Chicago, Ill./Trinity/Marquette) collected 13 points, while senior forward
Danyel Middleton (Chicago, Ill./Bolingbrook/Marquette) tallied 11 points.
COMMENT FROM HEAD COACH ASHLEEN BRACEY
"In the first half, our mentality was just off. It was just a step slow to everything. We weren't truly buying into that 'outwork' mentality. We came out in the second half and that mentality completely shifted. We were all over the floor, we were getting stops and we were playing much more under control."
COMMENT FROM SENIOR CENTER TARA GREEN
"Shout out to my teammates. They found me every time I was open. That is what had me get going, so big one for them."
FIRST QUARTER (16-13, SIU)
- After collecting the opening tip, the Flames were first to get on the board when senior guard Kristian Young (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) found Middleton for the mid-range jumper seconds into the game.
- Senior forward Jaida McCloud (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) scored her first points of the night at the 6:09 mark after a driving layup to tie it up at 5-5.
- Senior guard Sara Zabrecky (Munster, Ind./Munster/St. John's) sank a mid-range jumper of her own to cut into the Salukis' lead (13-11) with 1:27 left in the quarter.
- Williams finished the period with back-to-back free throws.
SECOND QUARTER (32-28, SIU)
- The Flames' first make of the quarter came at the 8:15 mark on an inbound pass to junior guard Krystyna Ellew (Chicago, Ill./Taft/Wisconsin), who banked it off the glass to keep the Flames within one possession (18-15).
- Driving the lane with contact, Williams drew the foul on the made layup, converting the three-point play to keep the Flames close with 7:31 remaining in the half, 20-18.
- An 8-0 run by the Salukis was soon quieted after Ellew sank her two free throws with 5:58 left on the clock.
- After Middleton collected her third make of the game, Green checked in and sank a layup in the closing seconds of the half.
THIRD QUARTER (47-45, UIC)
- Young scored UIC's first bucket of the half on a driving layup following her third steal of the game less than two minutes into the quarter.
- Green drew contact on her second basket of the quarter, converting the three-point play to tie it up for the first time since early on in the game (37-37, 4:17). She finished with nine points in the quarter.
- Graduate transfer guard Dais'Ja Trotter (Louisville, Ky./Seneca/Cincinnati) cut through the lane with ease to give the Flames their first lead since the opening seconds, 39-37 with 3:40 remaining in the quarter.
- Trading basket-for-basket, Williams connected on a last-second layup to keep the Flames ahead by a pair entering the final 10 minutes.
FOURTH QUARTER (66-59, UIC)
- Back-to-back makes in the paint from Green pushed the Flames lead to four, 51-47 in the first 90 seconds of the period.
- Middleton broke into double figures after a layup and a free throw to keep the Flames ahead (56-50) at the midway point of the quarter.
- After the Salukis' Se'quoia Allmond brought SIU within three (59-56) by making the first of two foul shots, she missed the second and Young came up with a big defensive rebound, as UIC called time to regroup with 37 seconds remaining.
- Green followed with a clutch basket on the ensuing UIC possession and added four free throws in the closing seconds to earn the victory.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- UIC picks up its second-ever road win at Southern Illinois and first since the 1979-80 season, when the Flames defeated the Salukis, 68-63 in double overtime in Carbondale.
- Green collected season highs in points (23), field goals made (8), free throws made (7) and rebounds (9) in the victory.
- After her 13-point performance, Williams has now scored in double figures in 10 games for the Flames this season. She has also reached double figures in UIC's last seven games.
- The Flames continue to lead the MVC in total rebounds (511), adding another 45 rebounds in Thursday's win.
- Young had a team-high three steals on Thursday and has 22 for the season, one of four Flames with at least 20 steals this year (all of whom rank among the top 20 in the MVC in that category). As a team, UIC ranks third in The Valley with 10.23 steals per game.
UP NEXT
The Flames finish up their three-game MVC road trip at 1 p.m. (CT) Saturday, as they take on Missouri State (8-3, 2-2 MVC) at Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Mo. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on
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.
Passes to enjoy the Courtside Club at Credit Union 1 Arena for select UIC women's basketball home games (Jan. 14 vs. Drake; Jan. 21 vs. Illinois State; Feb. 4 vs. Valparaiso) are now on sale. 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 (single-game or three-game pack), 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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