CHICAGO – UIC scored the first nine points Friday afternoon and never looked back on its way to a 94-71 win over Indiana State inside Credit Union 1 Arena.
 
Deja Jones led the Sycamores with 19 points, four rebounds and four assists, while Queen Ruffin added a season-high 13 points off the bench. Savannah White and Mia Simpson each had nine points, with White adding a team-high seven rebounds, and Keslyn Secrist finished with eight points.
 
Indiana State pulled within a pair midway through the first after White scored five early points, but the Trees never got closer. UIC went on a 15-0 run spanning parts of the first and second quarters, while Indiana State shot just 30 percent for the opening 20 minutes. The Sycamores' offense came alive to score 48 points in the second half, with Ruffin doing all her damage in the last 20 minutes, but the deficit was insurmountable for Indiana State to overcome.
 
First Half
UIC scored the game's first nine points, but Indiana State worked its way back early in the first. Jones started the Sycamore scoring with a pair of free throws, while White added a pair of baskets down low as the Trees whittled the deficit down to a pair at 9-7 midway through the opening quarter. That was the closest Indiana State got, though, as UIC scored the final eight points of the quarter to take a 17-7 lead after one.
 
Things continued to go in the wrong direction for Indiana State early in the second, as UIC scored the quarter's first seven points to extend its lead to 24-7. Saige Stahl ended the UIC scoring run with a layup in transition and Jones added a pair of baskets midway through the period, but the Sycamores struggled to get stops on the other end. UIC's lead reached as many as 29 late in the second quarter, before a pair of Jones baskets gave Indiana State a late morale boost heading into the break. Indiana State hit five of its last seven shots to close the second quarter, but trailed 49-23 at the half.
 
Second Half
Indiana State came out of the locker room with much more intensity, as Simpson opened the third quarter with a pair of layups. Jones and Davina Smith both tacked on early baskets, while Secrist knocked down a three-ball as part of an 11-0 Indiana State run. Simpson added a pair of buckets during the scoring run, which pulled the Blue and White within 62-43 with just under four minutes left in the quarter. A late Bella Finnegan jumper and a pair of free throws from Ruffin closed the quarter, as Indiana State trailed 73-49 entering the fourth.
 
Indiana State struggled to start the fourth, as UIC's lead reached 30 within the first four minutes of the final frame. White converted a second-chance basket for the Sycamores' first field goal of the quarter, but it was Indiana State's only basket for the first seven minutes of the period. Ruffin heated up late with a fastbreak three and a pull-up jumper, while Stahl tacked on a pair of late free throws as the Sycamores closed strong. Ruffin added a late three for the Trees, while Smith hit a layup in transition to close the game, but the Sycamores' first half woes were too much to overcome in a 94-71 setback.
 
News and Notes

• Although things didn't go the Sycamores' way, Indiana State outscored UIC 48-45 in the second half.
• Indiana State's 26 bench points in Friday's game were the Trees' most in a conference game this season. The Sycamores have just one game with more bench points than Friday's total, finishing with 33 bench points against Norther Illinois on Dec. 15.
• Indiana State took 30 free throws in Friday's game, the Sycamores' most in a conference game this season and tied for the most in any game this season (30 vs. Austin Peay on Nov. 15). 24 of Indiana State's 30 free throws came in the second half.

 
Up Next
Indiana State's four-game road trip continues Sunday afternoon with a 2 p.m. tip at Valparaiso.
 
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