MOLINE, Ill. (March 13, 2024) – Following its highest conference win total in a decade, the UIC women's basketball team (17-14, 10-10 MVC) has its sights set on the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament (Hoops in the Heartland) this weekend in Moline, Ill. The tournament begins for the Flames at 6 p.m. (CT) Thursday, with seventh-seeded UIC taking on No. 10 seed Valparaiso (5-24, 4-16 MVC). The first-round matchup will be streamed live on ESPN+ from Vibrant Arena at The MARK.
GAME INFORMATION vs. Valparaiso (5-24, 4-16 MVC)
Vibrant Arena at The MARK | Moline, Ill.
Thursday, March 14 | 6 p.m. CT
Hoops in the Heartland App
Tournament Central
UIC Digital Yearbook
MVC Media Guide
Live Stats
Tickets
ESPN+
LAST TIME OUT
UIC suffered a tough 69-65 overtime loss to Southern Illinois (11-19, 6-14 MVC) last Saturday at Credit Union 1 Arena. Despite the outcome, senior forward
Jaida McCloud (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) collected a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds while matching her season high with three steals. Senior guard
Danyel Middleton (Chicago, Ill./Bolingbrook/Marquette) also contributed 13 points and graduate student forward
Keimari Rimmer (Chicago, Ill./Proviso East/DePaul) added 12 points and six rebounds.
On March 7, junior forward
Makiyah Williams (Chicago, Ill./Trinity/Marquette) led UIC in scoring with 19 points, as the Flames made history by securing their first-ever victory over Missouri State, 65-61. The win also marked a significant milestone for UIC, secured its 10
th MVC victory of the season and posting double-digit conference wins for the first time in nearly a decade (last achieved in 2013-14 with a 10-6 record in the Horizon League).
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, 68-50.
UIC and Valparaiso have a lengthy history, dating back to the 1972-73 season, with the current series record between the two schools favoring the Flames, 30-26. This season, the programs split their regular season series. In the first clash on Feb. 4, both sides battled to the final seconds, but Valparaiso's buzzer-beating shot was the difference in a 71-70 final at Credit Union 1 Arena. Three weeks later on Feb. 25, UIC got its revenge on the road at Valparaiso, earning an 82-59 win.
Valparaiso's top scorer and rebounder, Leah Earnest, made the game-winning layup in the first meeting with UIC and averages 16.2 points and 7.1 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 (tenth) and field goal percentage (15th - .466). She's also the only player on the Beacons' roster who has played and started in all 29 of their games this season, putting her seventh in the Valley in minutes played (31.0 mpg.).
UIC IN THE POSTSEASON
As the No. 6 seed in their inaugural MVC Tournament appearance last spring, the Flames reached the quarterfinals with a 72-47 victory over Valparaiso in the first round. It was UIC's first conference tournament victory in six years, dating back to the 2016-17 season. McCloud was a key asset in last year's tournament win over the Beacons with 16 points, four rebounds and three assists.
TOURNAMENT TIDBITS
Hoops in the Heartland comes back to Vibrant Arena in Moline, Ill., (part of the Quad Cities) for the ninth consecutive year and continuing a 17-year Valley tradition in which the tournament maintains its neutral-site format. This season, UIC boasts a 1-1 record in neutral-site matchups, defeating UTEP (81-65) and narrowly falling to SEC opponent Arkansas (66-58) just prior to Christmas at the West Palm Beach (Fla.) Classic.
PACKING THEM IN
UIC set a school record this season by average 1,276 fans per game, including seven crowds of 1,000 fans or more (the most for the Flames in the past decade) and a season-high 1,843 fans for the Feb. 4 matchup with Valparaiso. During
Ashleen Bracey's two seasons as head coach, UIC has seen its attendance increase by more than 215 percent.
TICKETS AND MORE
All Hoops in the Heartland tickets will be mobile. Fans wishing to purchase tickets for Thursday's evening session featuring UIC (or all-session tickets for the full MVC Tournament) should contact the UIC Athletics Ticket Office at (312) 413-8421 or via e-mail at
athleticsticketing@uic.edu.
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).
