CHICAGO (Feb. 11, 2024) – The UIC women's basketball team (14-9, 7-5 MVC) earned its seventh Missouri Valley Conference win of the season with a 68-53 victory over Indiana State (8-14, 4-8 MVC) on Sunday afternoon at Credit Union 1 Arena. The Flames outscored the Sycamores, 20-5 in the fourth quarter to come out victorious for the sixth time in their last eight games.
UIC was led offensively by senior guard Danyel Middleton (Chicago, Ill./Bolingbrook/Marquette), who scored 18 points in 26 minutes of play. Graduate student forward Keimari Rimmer (Chicago, Ill./Proviso East/DePaul) was on her way to another double-double, finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds.
COMMENT FROM HEAD COACH ASHLEEN BRACEY
"I'm proud of the W at home. It was a good bounce-back from a grind-out game on Friday. Our flow was better and we shared the ball better. At halftime, I talked to the team about giving 100 percent effort because it doesn't matter what your plan is if you don't work your butt off for 40 minutes. The road is tough, but we'll now prepare for Illinois State."
COMMENT FROM MIDDLETON
"It feels good to be able to help my team out, not only on the offensive end, but on defense as well. I was struggling at first, so being able to lock in and focus on the game plan was good for me. I think the biggest key for these upcoming road games is we need to have energy and know that we're in it together."
FIRST QUARTER (15-11, ISU)
- Senior forward Jaida McCloud (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) evened the score at 2-2 after a steal and fastbreak layup two minutes into the game.
- Down three at the 5:33 mark, Rimmer propelled the Flames to their biggest lead of the quarter (8-4) after taking it to the hole and drawing an "and-one".
- A series from graduate student Dais'Ja Trotter (Louisville, Ky./Seneca/Cincinnati) gave UIC momentum. The guard came up with a steal at 3:07 and then a put-back layup off a teammate's miss.
- Rimmer grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled with 45 seconds remaining. She went to the line and made one of two foul shots, but Indiana State ultimately won the quarter, 15-11.
SECOND QUARTER (31-28, UIC)
- Rimmer kicked off the second-quarter scoring for both teams with an easy lay-in at 9:41 (15-13).
- At 6:24, junior forward Ky Dempsey-Toney (Franklin, N.J./Franklin) snagged an offensive rebound and got fouled, making two free throws to bring UIC within one (16-15). After sinking both free throws, she then drew a charge on ISU's next possession.
- The Flames reclaimed the lead (22-20) at 3:17 and Rimmer made her way into double-digit scoring after a left-handed layup. A possession later, junior guard Sandra Frau-Garcia (Pego, Spain/Casper College) set up Rimmer for another basket to give UIC the four-point advantage.
- The Sycamores hit a three with a little over a minute to play, but Middleton answered back with a three of her own with 42 seconds remaining (31-26). Two late free throws brought Indiana State within three heading into halftime.
THIRD QUARTER (48-48, TIED)
- It took until 7:42 for Flames to find a bucket, as senior guard Sara Zabrecky (Munster, Ind./Munster/St. John's) connected from beyond the arc for her first points of the game (35-32).
- Trotter broke a 4-0 run from the Sycamores at the 4:41 mark with a corner three-pointer (40-36). She scored the next basket as well, as she leaked out for a fast-break layup.
- With 20 seconds left, Trotter found Rimmer in the paint to get the three-point lead. The Sycamores evened the score at 48 with a last-second three-pointer.
FOURTH QUARTER (68-53, UIC)
- After ISU scored the first points of the fourth quarter, McCloud made a move on her defender at 9:30, finishing through the contact for an "and-one" to give the Flames a 51-50 lead.
- Middleton knocked down her second three two minutes in, followed by a smooth move to the basket (56-52). Half of the senior's points were scored in the fourth quarter.
- The Flames worked the clock, and at 5:37, senior guard Kristian Young (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) went for a lay-up. She missed, but grabbed her own rebound and laid it back in for a 58-52 advantage.
- Middleton went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe down the stretch to seal the deal for her team, which claimed its second win over Indiana State this season.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- Middleton nearly played a perfect game offensively, missing only one shot. The veteran guard went 4-for-5 from the field, 2-for-2 on threes, and 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.
- Sunday's game was closely contested, as the score was tied eight times with seven lead changes.
- UIC outscored Indiana State in three of the four quarters, highlighted by a 20-5 fourth quarter, led by Middleton (nine points). It was the second massive quarter difference against the Sycamores this year — UIC outscored ISU, 30-6 in the third quarter of their game in Terre Haute on Jan. 28.
UP NEXT
The Flames will be back on the road Thursday, taking on Illinois State at CEFCU Arena in Normal, Ill. The Flames and Redbirds will tip off at 6:30 p.m. (CT), with the weekday matchup streamed on ESPN+ and live stats 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.
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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