The fourth-seeded UIC women’s basketball team (25-9) dominated No. 6 Fairfield with a 74-44 home victory Thursday (March 27) in the 2014 Women’s Basketball Invitational East Region semifinal. UIC advances to the WBI Championship Game where the Flames will play host to the West Region’s fourth seed Stephen F. Austin on Saturday (March 29). Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. inside the UIC Pavilion. The contest will be head coach Regina Miller’s second postseason championship game appearance as she also led UNLV to the 2004 WNIT title game.
Ruvanna Campbell had 20 points in the first half and collected her 25th double-double of the season with 25 points and 17 rebounds. She nearly picked up her first career triple-double with a career-high nine assists. Katie Hannemann poured in 21 points while Rachel Story was also in double figures with 13 points.
“Our players had a lot of fun tonight,” said UIC head coach Regina Miller. “Ruvanna dominated every aspect of the game and set the tone for us early on both ends of the floor. I am so proud of what our players have accomplished over the last three games and we are excited to play the WBI Championship Game in front of our fans on Saturday.”
UIC never trailed and led by as many as 33 in the second half. The Flames shot 51 percent from the field (32-of-62) and held Fairfield to 33 percent shooting (19-of-57), including 23 percent (7-of-30) in the second half.
The Flames hit 55 percent of their shots in the quarterfinal at Eastern Michigan (March 24) and have converted 50 percent of their field goals in consecutive games for the first time all season. The last UIC opponent to score less than 50 points was Valparaiso on Feb. 16, 2012 (43).
UIC had 23 assists on 32 made field goals and tied a program record low with five turnovers. The Flames held a 40-33 rebounding advantage and improved to 25-4 when winning the battle on the boards.
Campbell was 12-of-16 from the field, including 10-of-12 in the first half. She also collected a career-high five steals.
Campbell picked up her third straight double-double and 15th double-double over the last 16 games. She has scored over 20 points in three consecutive contests and 13 times this season. During the WBI Tournament, Campbell is averaging 25.0 points, 18.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists and shooting 71.4 percent from the field.
Hannemann was 9-of-16 from the field, including 5-of-6 in the second half for 12 points after halftime. The effort is her fifth 20-point performance this season and the tenth of her career. Her 1,094 career points are 14th in program history and 28 away from Krystal Hugelier (2003-06) for 13th place.
Story had 10 points in the first half on 4-of-8 shooting. She drained 3-of-6 shots from beyond the arc and has converted 40 percent of her triples over the last two games (6-of-15). Story's 1,050 career points are 17th in program history and she is 21 points away from 16th place.
Tags: UIC - Women's Basketball
