CHICAGO (Feb. 4, 2024) – The UIC women's basketball team (12-9, 5-5 MVC) battled Valparaiso (4-15, 3-7 MVC) to the final seconds, but a buzzer beating shot was the difference as the Flames fell to the Beacons, 71-70 in a Missouri Valley Conference matchup on Sunday afternoon at Credit Union 1 Arena.
Junior forward
Makiyah Williams (Chicago, Ill./Trinity/Marquette) led the Flames with 22 points and added four rebounds. Senior guard
Danyel Middleton (Chicago, Ill./Bolingbrook/Marquette) collected 12 points, four rebounds and a block. Graduate student guard/forward
Keimari Rimmer (Chicago, Ill./Proviso East/DePaul) netted nine points and grabbed 11 boards.
COACH'S COMMENT
"Obviously I'm very disappointed in the loss. I thought we were prepared, but for whatever reason in that second half, it was tough for us to get stops and they were incredibly hot,
" said head coach
Ashleen Bracey. "Valpo is a good team and I know their record doesn't indicate that, but that team is young and hungry. They got us tonight, credit to them, but we need to keep working and credit to them."
FIRST QUARTER (18-16, UIC)
- Senior guard Kristian Young (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) grabbed a defensive rebound at 8:36 and took it coast to coast, dishing to senior forward Jaida McCloud (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) for the layup to give the Flames an early 4-0 advantage.
- After McCloud picked up her second foul at 7:15, Williams subbed in and made a smooth move to the basket to bring the score to 6-3.
- At the 6:53 mark, Valpo connected on a three-pointer to bring the score within three, but senior guard Sara Zabrecky (Munster, Ind./Munster/St. John's) answered right back with a corner three, assisted by junior guard Sandra Frau-Garcia (Pego, Spain/Casper College).
SECOND QUARTER (32-24, UIC)
- A bucket from Valpo evened the score at 18. UIC regained the lead after Middleton pulled up for a midrange jumper at the 7:52 mark.
- At 6:25, Zabrecky gave her team another offensive opportunity by stepping up to take her second charge of the game.
- Williams made a strong move to the basket at 6:09, also getting the and-one (25-21). She led all scorers at halftime with nine points.
- UIC got a defensive stop with 20 seconds left for the last shot. Off a missed three-pointer from Williams, junior guard Krystyna Ellew (Chicago, Ill./Taft/Wisconsin) soared in the air for an offensive rebound and putback (32-24).
THIRD QUARTER (49-47, UIC)
- Middleton gave the Flames offense energy, as she assisted UIC's post players two possessions in a row, including one to Williams at 8:43, who broke into double figures in scoring.
- The Beacons wouldn't go away easily, evening the score at 5:40 with an open three. Rimmer answered with a layup at 5:07 to put an end to Valpo's 9-0 run.
- A steal from junior guard/forward Ky Dempsey-Toney (Franklin, N.J./Franklin) at 3:55 turned into a fast-break layup for Frau-Garcia, bringing UIC within one.
- Trailing by three at 1:39, Williams made her layup through the foul. She came down seconds later for a three-pointer in transition, allowing the Flames to regain the lead (48-45) which they took into the fourth quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER (71-70, VALPO)
- UIC and Valpo traded baskets throughout much of the final quarter, but Middleton set her feet beyond the arc with just under seven minutes left to bring the score to 56-50.
- After five points from the Beacons in less than 30 seconds, Williams found Rimmer on the block in a high-low action for an easy two (58-55) with four minutes remaining.
- Valpo hit three three-pointers in a row to retake a 64-58 lead with three minutes remaining in the game. Zabrecky answered with a three of her own to cut the Flames' deficit in half at 2:53.
- The senior shooter hit another three-point shot with 24 seconds remaining to give UIC the two-point advantage.
- The Beacons fouled late in the game to stop the clock, where graduate student guard Dais'Ja Trotter (Louisville, Ky./Seneca/Cincinnati) made one of two free throws, tallying her first points of the game (69-66).
- At five seconds, Valpo's Nevaeh Jackson connected on a three, tying the game. Williams was fouled on the ensuing possession and made one at the charity stripe to put UIC back ahead, 70-69 with four seconds on the clock.
- After a timeout with 1.3 seconds left, Valpo's Leah Earnest took a pass on the left wing and drove the baseline for the winning layup as time expired.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- Rimmer ended the first 20 minutes of play with nine rebounds, four being offensive.
- Middleton shot 100% from the field in the second quarter (3-3 from the field, 2-2 on free throws).
- UIC had nine of 10 players that saw the floor to score in Sunday's game.
UP NEXT
The Flames prepare for a weekend homestand against Evansvile (Feb. 9; 7 p.m. CT) and Indiana State (Feb. 11; noon CT) at Credit Union 1 Arena. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at
UICFlames.com. The Indiana State game will also be the opener of a UIC basketball doubleheader, with the UIC men playing host to Northern Iowa on Feb. 11 at 3 p.m. (CT).
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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