Game Notes: UIC vs. Western Michigan - 12/13/09

Dec. 9, 2009

CHICAGO - To many sports fans, the following phrase, which has been attributed to a legendary football coach, Paul `Bear' Bryant, will sound familiar: defense wins championships. However, it applies not only to football because the UIC women's basketball team is taking that ideal to heart this season and protecting the basket as well as any team in the country.

As a team, the Flames are currently tied for 10th amongst all NCAA Division I teams with 6.0 blocks per game. The team's 42 rejections also lead the Horizon League and are twice as many as the second-ranked team in the conference, Loyola.

UIC head coach Lisa Ryckbosch is aware of the importance that blocking a shot can have for her team.

"We emphasize defense, so we emphasize doing whatever you can do, given what you're in position to do, to stop the other team," said Ryckbosch this week.

Flames' senior center Cassie Johnson currently leads all Horizon League players with 2.1 bpg and ranks 30th in all of Division I. The Apple Valley, Minn. native led the league in that category last season, averaging 2.5 blocks per game.

"It's important to me just because if I'm not doing well on offense, I can usually try to make up for it on the defensive end. I have super long arms so I just use that to my advantage," said Johnson, who stands 6'2" tall.

"Cassie is certainly very talented at keeping people in front of her and positioning herself to be able to get some blocked shots," said Ryckbosch.

Johnson currently ranks fourth on UIC's all-time blocked shots list with 123 career rejections. She is 10 blocks behind Stephanie Jost (1997-2001) for third place, and trails the school's all-time leader, Sharon Carroll (1977-80) by 23.

Johnson has contributed to 36 percent (15-of-42) of the team's total through seven games this season, but plenty of her teammates are getting in on the act as well. Six other Flames have at least three rejections so far this season and sophomore Jasmine Bailey, who ranks second on the team, is third in the Horizon League with 1.3 bpg.

"I think the reason our numbers are so off-the-charts is because we've got people like Jas [Bailey], Taylor [Foulks] and Bree [Hinkle], that because of their athleticism and because of their hunger defensively, are able to go get more blocked shots than typical perimeter kids do," said Ryckbosch. "They all have the mentality of pursuing until we get the ball back."

Johnson knows that those types of blocked shots are just as important as the ones she typically collects right under the hoop.

"It motivates us as a team when we out-hustle our opponent and get back on defense," said Johnson. "If we stop their transitions by blocking shots, that's a big advantage for us."

Johnson, Bailey and the rest of the women's basketball team will try to add to their total on Sunday afternoon when they travel to take on the Western Michigan Broncos at 2:00 p.m. You can hear that game live right here on www.uicflames.com. Jordan Bernfield will call all the action live. For more information about Sunday's game, please click the Game Notes PDF above.