CHICAGO (Feb. 22, 2024) – The UIC women's basketball team (15-11, 8-7 MVC) dropped a crucial Missouri Valley Conference game against Murray State (16-8, 9-6 MVC), 83-63 on Thursday night at Credit Union 1 Arena.
Junior forward
Makiyah Williams (Chicago, Ill./Trinity/Marquette) led the Flames' offense, scoring 16 points and adding five rebounds. Graduate student forward
Keimari Rimmer (Chicago, Ill./Proviso East/DePaul) netted 14 points, grabbed four boards and had three steals.
COACH'S COMMENT
"It's a disappointing loss. You don't expect to get beat by 20 on your home court," said head coach
Ashleen Bracey. "Murray State is a good team, but we are, too. I just don't think we performed to our standards. A part of that is consistently playing hard, as well as capitalizing on opportunities. Going forward, anything can happen and there's room for movement in conference standings, so now we'll prepare to get back to work at Valpo on Sunday."
FIRST QUARTER (20-17, MSU)
- Just 50 seconds into the game, Rimmer showed her ability on both ends of the floor, tipping the ball from her defender and then scoring the first field goal of the game.
- After exchanging baskets with Murray State, Williams checked in for UIC and made an instant impact, driving past her defender for an easy lay-in to make it 7-6 with 6:10 remaining.
- A contested three-pointer from Williams tied it up at 11 with 3:36 left in the quarter. That was followed by a dish from junior guard Sandra Frau-Garcia (Pego, Spain/Casper College) to senior forward Jaida McCloud (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) and a layup from Rimmer, which gave the Flames a four-point lead (15-11).
- The Racers then went on to score the next six points, ending the quarter with a three-pointer to take the three-point lead going into the next quarter (20-17).
SECOND QUARTER (47-30, MSU)
- Murray State opened the quarter with a 14-point run. Senior guard Kristian Young (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) interrupted that run with a layup at 6:05, bringing the scoreline to 33-19.
- Trying to cut down a 17-point deficit, McCloud made a move around her defender in the paint, making the basket and drawing the foul at the 2:33 mark.
- McCloud came up with a steal with 27 seconds remaining in the quarter, but UIC missed the last shot going into halftime (47-30).
- The Racers outscored the Flames 27-13 in the second quarter, led by their top scorer, Katelyn Young who recorded 23 points in the first 20 minutes of play.
THIRD QUARTER (67-44, MSU)
- Rimmer brought the Flames within 47-32 off a layup on the first possession of the quarter, but Katelyn Young was a force for the Racers in the paint, scoring her team's first six points of the third.
- At 7:45, graduate student Dais'Ja Trotter (Louisville, Ky./Seneca/Cincinnati) maneuvered past the Murray State defense, and picked up an "and-one" in the process. After making her free throw, the Racers led 53-35.
- Frau-Garcia made her way into the paint at 4:56, connecting on a floater (58-37) to interrupt a three-minute scoring drought for UIC.
- McCloud's long reach blocked a last-minute shot from Murray State. The Flames missed a layup on the other end as the clock wound down and the Racers got fouled on a fast-break layup with 0.8 seconds left, ending the quarter leading 67-44.
FOURTH QUARTER (83-63, MSU)
- The two teams went back and forth with scoring to start the fourth quarter. The Racers nearly took a 30-point lead at 7:26 after a three-pointer, but Williams answered on the next UIC possession with a triple of her own (74-49).
- UIC fought back within 20, fueled by an 8-0 run. It was led by field goals from Williams, Rimmer, and Frau-Garcia.
- Junior guard Krystyna Ellew (Chicago, Ill./Taft/Wisconsin) scored back-to-back baskets for the Flames under the three-minute mark.
- UIC chipped away at their deficit (83-63), but Murray State's Katelyn Young proved to be too much for the Flames, ending with 38 points.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- UIC's all-time series record moves to 1-3 against Murray State since both schools joined the MVC prior to last season.
- The Flames outscored the Racers in the paint, 46-36, a common theme for UIC against its opponents this season.
- UIC held the advantage on bench points as well (34-20).
UP NEXT
The Flames will take a quick trip to Valparaiso on Sunday for a 1 p.m. (CT) tipoff against the Beacons. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats 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).
#FireUpFlames | #ChicagosCollegeTeam
