JOHN YELEY | STAFF REPORTER

The Butler women’s basketball team (3-5) suffered another defeat Saturday, dropping a close 62-57 contest in the final minutes of play to the Illinois-Chicago Flames (6-2) at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Senior forward Daress McClung led the attack for the Bulldogs on both sides of the court, hitting 8 of 19 shots for 23 points. McClung cooled down the Flames’ offensive front with two blocks and three steals on defense.

Senior guard Mandy McDivitt added 10 points and two assists while playing all 40 minutes.

Butler came back from an early 10-point deficit after the first eight minutes of play, narrowing UIC’s lead to 24-23 by the end of the first half.

The Bulldogs continued to keep it close in the second half. Butler tied the game up at 54-54 on a free throw by junior guard Taylor Schippers with 3:21 left.

Following a subsequent timeout by UIC, the Flames’ Rachel Story broke the tie with a quick jumper. Several miscues by Butler in the final minutes put the game just out of the Bulldogs’ grasp.

Following the loss, head coach Beth Couture noted the strong performance of her opponent.

“You have to give UIC a lot of credit,” Couture said. “They came in with a five-game winning streak and they wanted to beat us.  We put it on them a little bit last year so they came in today and were ready.”

The Bulldogs will look to get back on track Friday when they hit the road  to take on the Valparaiso Crusaders.

Tip off is slated for 8:05 p.m. EDT at the Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Ind.