CHICAGO – The University of Evansville women's basketball team struggled to keep possession of the ball in a 71-54 loss to the UIC Flames.
The Purple Aces got off to a slow start at Credit Union 1 Arena and didn't find their way back on Sunday afternoon. UE outshot UIC on the floor by over 2% but a -14 turnover margin kept Evansville from catching up with the Flames. Sophomore forward Maggie Hartwig (Sauk City, Wis. / Sauk Prairie HS) again led the Aces on the floor with her ninth double-double of the season and her second in a row.
Sunday's game began with the teams' trading shots as the lead changed three times in just over two minutes. UIC tried to pull away with a short run, but UE kept coming back to keep it within two points before the media timeout. The Flames were able to pull away in the final three and a half minutes of the quarter on a 10-point lead to put Evansville down by 10.
The Aces offense got going again a minute into the second quarter on a jump shot from freshman guard Kaiden Kreinhagen (Indianapolis / North Central HS). UE went back and forth with UIC for four minutes in the quarter. Both teams then struggled to complete a shot through the middle of the second as no one scored for over three minutes. Evansville broke the cold snap at the line for a 7-9 run to end the first half. The Aces headed into the locker room trailing by 15 in Chicago.
The Flames had the hot hand to start the third quarter with four straight points. UE got back into the scoring column with back-to-back layups from Hartwig and a trip to the line for senior guard Júlia Palomo (La Seu d'Urgell, Spain). The game returned to a back-and-forth pace for just under three minutes. UIC eclipsed the 20-point lead mark with two straight threes and a layup. Evansville put together a strong final minute and a half of the third, scoring six points in that time. But they still faced a 21-point deficit with only 10 minutes left to play.
The Aces were able to take their momentum from the end of the third quarter into the beginning of the fourth. UE scored six points in under two minutes while not letting the Flames get more than a layup. UIC was able to respond with just under eight minutes to go, pushing their lead back out to 21. A five-point run for Evansville got the margin back under 20 but the team was only able to match the Flames made field goals instead of putting together another run. Hartwig made the last layup of the game putting the Aces over 50 points in the 71-54 loss.
Hartwig and Runner were again the lone double-digit scorers for UE with 19 and 13 points respectively. Palomo led the team in assists and steals through 40 minutes, helping on four baskets and getting two takeaways. While Hartwig also led on defense with 10 rebounds as Runner was the next closest with seven boards.
Evansville will play its final road game of the season next week. The Aces face off with the Northern Iowa Panthers for the only time this year on Thursday night. Tip-off from the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls is set for 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 27.
