Jan. 5, 2006

Final Stats

CHICAGO - Cleveland State couldn't connect on a long three-pointer at the buzzer as the Vikings fell, 68-66, at UIC on Thursday night. The loss drops CSU to 3-10 overall and 1-1 in the Horizon League, while the Flames improve to 5-8, 1-1 HL.

The Vikings erased a 37-26 halftime deficit by outscoring UIC 16-5 over the first six minutes of the second stanza. CSU edged ahead on three occasions down the stretch, but Krystal Hugelier's fifth three-pointer of the game put the Flames up for good, 66-64, with 1:45 remaining.

Cleveland State jumped out to an early lead, claiming a 14-9 advantage eight minutes into the game. However, a 10-0 burst by the Flames fueled a 24-4 jaunt that put UIC up 33-18 at the 4:59 mark of the first half.

"If we could find a way to put two good halves together, we'd be tough to beat," CSU head coach Kate Peterson said. "We had an eight-minute lapse in the first half and that was the difference tonight.

"I'm pleased with how our offense continues to come around. We got good looks tonight and were able to knock them down. If we'd just been a little smarter with the ball in the first half, it would have been a different game."

The Vikings shot 48.1 percent for the game (26-54), including a 55.6 percent effort in the final 20 minutes (15-27), while UIC connected on 42.6 percent of its field goal attempts (26-61). CSU held a 37-33 advantage on the boards, while the Flames knocked down 10 three-pointers to double up the Vikings.

Brittany Korth led a balanced Viking attack with a season-high 16 points. Dominique Butler (12), Erin Martin (11) and Omega Harrington (10) joined Korth in double-figures, while Korth, Butler and Nicole Thomas each finished with nine rebounds.

Hugelier finished with a season-high 21 points to pace the Flames, while Jacquay Holmes added 10 points.

Cleveland State closes out its two-game swing through Chicago when the Vikings face Loyola (0-13, 0-2 HL) on Saturday (Jan. 7) at 1:00 p.m. CST.