CHICAGO – In a physical, knock-down, drag-out, defensive ballgame, it was the visiting Oakland Golden Grizzlies that narrowly escaped the UIC Pavilion with a one-point victory over the UIC Flames, 58-57.
 
Oakland's Jalen Hayes scored the game-winning basket when he put back his own miss with 1:37 remaining in the game. That bucket came less than 30 seconds after UIC's K.J. Santos delivered a 3-pointer from the right corner that capped an 8-0 run and gave the Flames a slim 57-56 lead.
 
Both teams guarded well throughout the contest, particularly in the second half. UIC made only six field goals over the final period, however Oakland was not much better off. The Golden Grizzlies made 9-of-31 from the floor in the second half, and all eight attempts from the free throw line to erase a six-point halftime deficit.
 
How It Happened

• Unlike its last game when UIC fell behind early, 9-2, the Flames got off to a fast start Sunday. The home team scored the game's first six points, four of which came inside from junior Tai Odiase.
• Oakland used an 11-4 run over the span of 3:16 to grab its first lead of the game, 11-10, following a layup by Nick Daniels.
• Santos' first 3-pointer of the afternoon gave UIC the lead once again, 17-16, but it was short-lived because Hayes made a free throw on the next possession to even the ledger once again with 9:39 to go in the half.
• The Flames didn't take very long to break the tie, however, as Tarkus Ferguson canned one of his three 3-pointers to get the edge right back, 20-17.
• Back-and-forth they went when Oakland led by a point, 29-28, when guard Stevie Clark was assessed a flagrant foul for an elbow that caught Ferguson in the chin. The freshman made both free throws, then a layup on the ensuing possession to turn the deficit into a three-point lead for UIC with 2:30 to go in the period.
• After the Golden Grizzlies chopped the deficit down to one, Godwin Boahen sank a 3-pointer to make it a four-point lead with 1:17 left before the break. The Flames got a stop on the other end and Odiase made a pair of free throws with 5.6 seconds left in the frame to help the home team match its largest lead of the game, six points, at the half.
• Both sides cranked up the defensive intensity to another level in the second half. UIC went the first 6:10 of the half without a point before Clint Robinson split a pair of free throws to regain a one-point lead for the Flames, 38-37.
• UIC pushed the lead back to five on a couple occasions, the second time when Michael Kolawole floated home a layup with 11:30 to go in the contest.
• Oakland used a fast seven-point run that was finished off on a 3-pointer from Sherron Dorsey-Walker to snatch a 46-44 lead with just over 10 minutes left in the game.
• The Golden Grizzlies held the Flames in check and a scoring drought of close to four minutes meant that Oakland led 50-45 with just over six minutes left.
• The Flames soon faced a seven-point deficit with 4:49 remaining, but Marcus Ottey got things going on the next possession when he recorded his only field goal of the game on a driving layup. Ferguson was next to connect and his 3-pointer with 2:51 to go made it one possession game once again with UIC trailing, 56-54. After an Oakland turnover, Santos delivered the go-ahead triple off a feed from Ferguson with 2:05 to go.
• After the Golden Grizzlies gained the lead on Hayes' putback, Oakland got a defensive stop with about 1:16 left in regulation. Hayes tried to extend the lead on the other end, but Odiase rejected his effort and corralled the rebound. The Golden Grizzlies reached in and got a held-ball call with the possession arrow in their favor.
• The Flames put the clamps down on defense once again and Odiase collected a missed jumper from Martez Walker with 16 seconds left. UIC pushed the ball up the floor, but their last effort was blocked by Hayes inside, sending Oakland home with its fourth Horizon League victory of the season.

 
Beyond The Box Score

• Odiase secured his third double-double of the season behind 10 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. The Glenwood, Ill., native also added five blocks  and a steal in 29 minutes. In two games this weekend against Detroit Mercy and Oakland, Odiase averaged 10.5 points, nine rebounds and 6.5 blocks.
• Ferguson finessed his first career double-double. The Belleville, Ill. native secured a team-high 15 points and a career-best 10 rebounds for the Flames. He also added a team-high four assists with one steal.
• UIC led 37-31 at the break and Sunday's game was the first of the season that the Flames dropped when leading at the half. The Flames are now 7-1 this season when leading after 20 minutes.
• UIC shot a season-high 87.5 percent (14-of-16) from the free throw line Sunday. Odiase and Ferguson both went 2-of-2, while Robinson shot 90 percent from the stripe (9-of-10).
• The Flames used their sixth different five-man combination to open a game. Lance Whitaker made his second consecutive start, while Kyle Guice was in the lineup for the first time since Dec. 4 against Eastern Illinois. Boahen made his eight straight start, while Ferguson and Odiase have opened all 16 games.
• UIC fell for the third time this season by less than five points.
• The Flames finished their longest homestand of the season with a mark of 3-3. The average margin of victory in the three wins was 20.7 points, while the margin in the three losses was only six points.
• Oakland entered the game averaging 80.1 points per game and the Flames held the Golden Grizzlies to only 58 on Sunday. OU had not scored fewer than 71 points in any contest this season.

 
What's Next?

• The Flames will hit the road for a two-game swing through Northeast Ohio. The first stop is Cleveland on Thursday, Jan. 12, when UIC will face the Cleveland State Vikings at the Wolstein Center. Tipoff is set for 6:45 p.m. CT.
• The second stop will be Youngstown for a meeting against the Youngstown State Penguins on Saturday, Jan. 14.
• Both contests are slated to air on ESPN3.