OREM, UTAH — The Chicago State women's basketball team (0-8, 0-5 WAC) dropped a razor-thin 61-53 decision to the Utah Valley Wolverines (5-3, 3-2 WAC) Friday evening in Orem, Utah. The Cougars trailed by just one point going into the fourth quarter and converted a season-high 6-of-16 three pointers, but the Wolverines outscored CSU 13-6 down the stretch for the nine-point win.
Nadia Thorman-McKey (Evanston, IL/Evanston Township) opened the scoring for the Cougars, drilling a three-point basket for an early 3-2 lead. Utah Valley then rattled off the next six points before a driving layup by Laura Segues (Castelloli, Spain) halted the run. The teams traded baskets, for an 11-7 UTU lead before both teams went cold from the field and failed to score for over the next three minutes. Precious Adediran (UK, London/Barking Abbey Sixth Form) snapped the drought with a layup and Ana Haklicka (Dubrovnik, Croatia/Touristic and Catering School ) followed with a bucket to cut the UVU lead to two, 13-11, with 1:39 remaining in the first quarter. The Wolverines closed out the scoring with a hoop with 28 seconds remaining. The first quarter ended with UVU holding a slim 15-11 advantage.
As she did in the first quarter, Thorman-McKey opened the scoring in the second and Wynter Webb (Atlanta, GA/Mill Creek ) added a layup. The Cougars, again, closed the gap to two, 17-15 with 8:16 until halftime. CSU then failed to convert for the next two and half minutes, and the Wolverines extended the lead to six. Christina Britter (Dunlap, IL/Dunlap ) scored to make it 21-17 UVU before the Wolverines scored on consecutive possessions to push the lead to the game's largest margin at nine. Thorman-McKey answered with a three, and Adediran converted a jumper to cut the margin back to four, 26-22. Webb scored seven in the quarter and Thorman-McKey dropped five. The Cougars trailed by just three at the halftime break, 32-29.
The teams exchanged hoops to open the third quarter before the Wolverines reeled off four points to extend the lead to 38-31. Wynter Webb (Atlanta, GA/Mill Creek ) hit a three and Britter nailed a layup to cut the lead to two, 38-36. Following a Wolverines score, Laura Segues (Castelloli, Spain) rattled in a three, and the Cougars cut the gap to one, 40-39, going into the fourth quarter.
UVU scored the first six points of the fourth quarter, helping push its lead to 48-41. Chicago State countered with an 8-2 run on baskets by Britter, Leilani Moncrease (Oakland, CA/Moreau Catholic), free throws by Wynter Webb (Atlanta, GA/Mill Creek ) and a layup by Adediran to cut the lead to one, 48-47, with 4:59 remaining in the game. With Utah Valley leading 51-47, Ana Haklicka (Dubrovnik, Croatia/Touristic and Catering School ) converted a jumper and, following a Wolverines layup, Haklicka then made a three-pointer to again cut the lead to one, 53-52. But UVU then extended the lead to 58-52 with under a minute to play, holding on for a 61-53 win.
Wynter Webb (Atlanta, GA/Mill Creek ) paced the Cougars with 12 points, Christina Britter (Dunlap, IL/Dunlap ) added 11 (a new career-high) and Nadia Thorman-McKey (Evanston, IL/Evanston Township) eight. CSU converted a season high 6-of-16 three-point shots, led by Webb and Thorman-Mckey, who each had two. Britter, Adediran and Segues led the Cougars with six rebounds each.
The same two teams will square off tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 6, at 4 p.m. CT. In an effort to minimize both travel and exposure, this season's Western Athletic Conference's schedule format features back-to-back games against the same opponent at the same site.
Next:
- Who? Utah Valley
- Where? UCCU Center, Orem, Utah
- When? Saturday, February 6, 2021, 4 p.m. CDT
