Jan. 28, 2012

Box Score

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CHICAGO - UIC's Taylor Foulks' three-pointer with 1:44 left broke a 53-53 tie and Loyola came up one point short, dropping a 57-56 decision to the Flames this afternoon at Gentile Arena. Loyola, which saw its three-game winning streak against the Flames come to a close, drops to 9-11 (4-5 Horizon) while UIC moves to 13-7 (6-3).

"Obviously, rebounding the basketball and finishing out defensive possessions was tough for us today," said head coach Eric Simpson. "I was happy with how we battled and put ourselves in a position to win the game at the end."

Five early points from Skube staked the Ramblers to the early lead but UIC battled back, taking a 20-14 lead on a Shamiea Green three-point play. A three-point play from Troy Hambric capped a 7-0 LU run that gave the Ramblers a three-point lead but a three-pointer from Emily Kobel sent UIC to the locker room with a 28-26 halftime lead.

Skube scored inside to put Loyola back on top (31-30) but consecutive UIC treys fueled a 10-2 run that ended with the Ramblers facing a 40-33 deficit at the 10:29 mark. Loyola trailed by nine after another Green three-point play but a Hambric jumper and a Monica Albano three-pointer made it a four-point game (51-47) with just over four minutes to go.

Albano hit a pair from the line to make it a two-point game and hit a driving lay-up while drawing a foul on the next possession to tie the game at 53 with 2:02 to play. However, she missed the free throw and Foulks hit her only three-pointer of the day on the next possession to give UIC the lead. After a Loyola miss and a UIC shot clock violation, the Ramblers had another chance but missed two opportunities to draw closer. Green hit 1-of-2 from the line with 16 seconds left and, after a missed Skube three-pointer, Albano hit a three at the buzzer to account for the final margin.

Loyola shot a respectable 42% from the floor for the game and held UIC to just 31% accuracy. However, UIC corralled 28 offensive rebounds (17-12 edge in second chance points) and enjoyed a 47-25 rebounding edge overall.

Skube led the Ramblers with 21 points and added seven rebounds. She was joined in double figures by Albano (16 points) and Hambric (10).

The Ramblers look to improve on their 3-1 Horizon League road mark when they travel to Detroit and Wright State next week.