Wright State University
4-88-14. HL
UIC
11-12, 8-4HL
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wright State | 24 | 38 | 62 |
| UIC | 34 | 33 | 67 |
Women Rally, but Fall Short at UIC
2/12/2010 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The UIC Flames never trailed over the final 34 minutes versus the Wright State women's basketball team, as the host Flames grabbed a 67-62 decision, holding off a late Raider charge, in the Horizon League basketball contest at the UIC Pavilion.
The game was dead even at 8-8 just six minutes in, as each team drained a pair of three pointers and converted a layup to open up the scoring. The Flames scored the next four points to open up a slim lead, and eventually led by seven when Briana Hinkle hit a runner in the lane with 6:50 to play in the opening frame to give UIC a 24-17 lead.
The lead swelled to 11 points as UIC scored the next four points to grab a 28-17 edge with 4:52 remaining. The Green and Gold would outscore the Flames 7-6 over the final five minutes of the first half, but the Flames would take a 34-24 lead into the locker room.
UIC shot 64 percent in the opening stanza, compared to just 38 percent for WSU, and the Flames outrebounded the Raiders, 17-8. LaShawna Thomas led all scorers with 13 points, and hit five of her nine shots from the field over the first 20 minutes.
Wright State cut the lead to just five points at the 17:20 mark of the second half when Kanisha Ward stole a pass and converted the fast break layup. Thomas scored eight of the first 11 points for WSU and, after a pair of made free throws and a Molly Fox put back, WSU was down by just one, 38-37.
Jessie Miller kept UIC ahead as she tallied the 11 of the first 13 points for the home team in the second half, with her three pointer at 11:35 giving the Flames a 47-39 edge. The Green and Gold knotted the game at 47-47 as Paige Lowe hit a jumper, Ward scored four points and Erica Richardson tied the game with two free throws at the 9:20 mark.
A Jazmine Bailey three-point play, followed by three free throws from Miller, pushed the Flames back into the lead at 53-47. The two teams would trade runs over the final five minutes, but the solid free throw shooting (16 of 18) of the Flames staved off any chance for a rally and helped UIC hold on for a 67-62 win.
Thomas tallied a career-best 25 points on nine-of-20 shooting, while Richardson added 14 and Ward chipped in 11. The Raiders turned the ball over just 13 times, a season low, but UIC held a 39-26 edge on the boards and a 38-28 advantage in points in the paint.
Wright State will continue their Windy City road trip with a Saturday, February 13, contest at Loyola, starting at 1:30 Eastern.
