CHICAGO (Feb. 21, 2023) – The UIC women's basketball team (15-10, 8-6 MVC) has a split travel schedule in Missouri Valley Conference play this week, as the Flames welcome Murray State at Credit Union 1 Arena Thursday, before taking a quick trip to Valparaiso on Sunday. Both contests against the Racers and Beacons will be available on ESPN+.
GAME INFORMATION vs. Murray State (15-8, 8-6 MVC)
Thursday, Feb. 22 | 7 p.m. CT
Credit Union 1 Arena| Chicago, Ill.
Digital Yearbook
ESPN+
Live Stats
Tickets
GAME INFORMATION at Valparaiso (5-18, 4-10 MVC)
Sunday, Feb. 25 | 1 p.m. CT
Athletics-Recreation Center | Valparaiso, Ind.
Digital Yearbook
ESPN+
Live Stats
LAST TIME OUT
UIC held Bradley to 16 second-half points on the way to a 68-47 victory on Feb. 17 in Peoria, Ill. Graduate student forward
Keimari Rimmer (Chicago, Ill./Proviso East/DePaul) tallied her fifth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while junior forward
Makiyah Williams (Chicago, Ill./Trinity/Marquette) netted 13 points in 21 minutes of play coming off the bench. Junior forward
Ky Dempsey-Toney (Franklin, N.J./Franklin) also nabbed a career-high 11 rebounds.
On Feb. 15, UIC experienced a narrow defeat, falling 64-61 in an intense road battle at Illinois State. The Flames led for most of the night before succumbing to a late rally by the Redbirds. Williams finished with a team-high 13 points, while senior forward
Jaida McCloud (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) added 11 points and eight rebounds.
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE
Murray State completed their nonconference schedule with a 7-2 record, with losses to Arkansas (82-79) and Indiana (112-79). MSU began its conference schedule with three decisive victories over Valparaiso (90-62), Bradley (99-52) and Illinois State (90-55). The Racers also suffered defeats against UNI (95-75), Drake (107-98), Missouri State (84-74) and Belmont (73-54). They then secured two wins before their current two-game losing streak to Drake and UNI.
MSU is the only team in the Valley that UIC has yet to face this season. Their last meeting was on March 4, 2023, when the Flames came out victorious, 65-58. The overall series record between the two teams stands at 3-1, with the Racers holding a slight advantage.
Senior Katelyn Young leads Murray State in scoring (18.7 ppg.) and rebounding (7.9 rpg). The forward is ranked in the top 20 in numerous MVC statistical categories, including second in free-throw percentage (.881), third in scoring, sixth in rebounding, 11th in field-goal percentage (.491), and 19th in blocked shots (13).
SCOUTING VALPARAISO
Valparaiso has notched five wins this season, with four of them occurring in conference play. The Beacons' first taste of victory came in December against Chicago State. To open MVC action, they secured a win on Jan. 21 by defeating Bradley at home, 79-55. A week later, they added another win over Evansville, 70-59. Their most recent victory was on Feb. 15 against Bradley by a score of 68-50.
UIC and Valparaiso have a longstanding history, dating back to the 1972-73 season. The current series record between the two schools favors the Flames, 29-26. In their recent clash on Feb. 4, the teams battled to the final seconds, but the Beacons' buzzer-beating shot was the difference in a 71-70 final from Credit Union 1 Arena.
Valparaiso's top scorer and rebounder, Leah Earnest, made the game-winning layup that afternoon and the senior averages 16.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game this season. The guard/forward is ranked among the top 15 in the MVC in several statistical categories, including scoring (fifth), rebounding (eighth) and field goal percentage (13th - .477). She's also the only player on the Beacons' roster who has played and started in all 23 of their games this season, putting her seventh in the Valley in minutes played (31.0 mpg.) this season.
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).
