CHICAGO (Interstat) — Illinois-Chicago held off a late Evansville rally for a 68-65 women’s basketball victory Saturday at UIC Pavilion.

The Flames built a 31-23 halftime lead but the Purple Aces chipped away, outscoring Illinois-Chicago 42-37 in the second half. Evansville’s final possession did not yield a tying shot.

Breaunna Ward led Evansville with 17 points and nine rebounds. Jessica Carrothers scored 18 points for Illinois-Chicago, and Julia Coleman added a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Illinois-Chicago improved to 11-12 overall. Evansville fell to 6-18. Attendance was 754.