CHICAGO -- Six UIC players contributed at least seven points apiece and the Flames won the turnover battle as they fought their way to an opening-night victory over North Carolina Central at the UIC Pavilion Friday, 65-55.

Godwin Boahen sparked the UIC (1-0) offense with 15 points off the bench. The sophomore sank three 3-pointers and added four rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes off the bench. Classmate Tarkus Ferguson was also in double figures with 13 points and senior Tai Odiase narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Flames took care of the basketball and only turned it over 13 times. On the flip side, NCCU (0-1) coughed it up 22 times and UIC scored 25 points off those miscues.

Game Headlines

• Flames Overcome Sluggish Start: UIC had a few shots go in and out early and the teams were tied at just four points apiece with more than five minutes gone by in the ballgame. Ferguson's 3-pointer with 14:48 to go in the half ignited a 10-0 run that featured baskets from four different Flames to give the home team a 14-4 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the first.
• Eagles Close In: NCCU fell behind by as many as 12 points in the first half, but cut the deficit to four with under three minutes to go when Reginald Gardner, Jr. sak a triple to make it 22-18, UIC. Marcus Ottey scored five points down the stretch for the Flames and Jordan Blount added two to help the lead blossom back to nine points at the half.
• One and Done: UIC limited NCCU's opportunities, particularly in the first half. The Eagles had just one offensive rebound in the first 20 minutes. Odiase and Boahen each corralled four rebounds in the first half.
• Taking Advantage: The Flames swarmed NCCU on the defensive end and helped cause 14 first-half turnovers by the Eagles. UIC tooks full advantage of the mistakes by netting 14 points off those turnovers in the first half alone. Conversely, UIC had only seven turnovers through 20 minutes and NCCU only tallied five points off the errors.
• Boahen's Boost: UIC led by four, 47-43, with 8:19 remaining when Boahen provided a big lift for the home team. The second-year guard sank a mid-range jumper from the right wing off a feed from Blount and on the next possession he canned a triple to push the lead back up to nine points with 7:40 to go. In all, Boahen scored 11 of his team-high 15 points in the second half, while shooting 4-of-5 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc over the final 20 minutes.
• Sharing is Caring: The Flames showed good ball movement, particularly in the second half when they accumulated eight of their 13 assists on the night. One particularly memorable sequence happened on a fastbreak when Odiase got the ball to Blount, who found Dikembe Dixson, who shoveled to Ferguson for an acrobatic layup that gave the Flames a 13-point lead caused NCCU to use a timeout.
• Keep Pushing: UIC extended the lead to a game-best 17 points first on two free throws from Ferguson and later on a pair from the stripe for Blount with just under three minutes remaining. Those were the final points of the game for the home team and put them ahead 65-48.

Fast Facts

• UIC had only 13 turnovers against NCCU. In 36 games last season, the Flames were held to 12 turnovers or fewer only six times.
• Boahen scored a team-high 15 points. He led UIC in scoring twice in 31 games played as a freshman.
• The Flames did not convert a field goal over the final 4:27 Friday. The last basket came at 4:28 when Dixson scored and drew a foul on Pablo Rivas of NCCU.
• After starting out 2-of-7 from the free throw line, UIC finished by making all 11 attempts from the charity stripe in the second half.
• Odiase, a 51.7 percent shooter from the free throw line in his career, sank all four of his attempts Friday.
• Boahen (15), Ferguson (13), Odiase (10), Dixson (9), Blount and Ottey (7) each netted at least seven points Friday. NCCU had three players in double figures, but no one else with more than three points.
• Boahen matched a career high with six field goals for the third time.
• Blount handed out a game-high five assists.
• Ferguson had a game-high three steals and passed Dixson to become UIC's active career leader with 52 thefts.
• Blount made his first collegiate start. He earned the nod alongside Odiase (82), Dixson (41), Ferguson (37) and Dominique Matthews (23).
• Odiase has started all 67 games that Steve McClain has coached for the Flames. Dixson has started all 41 games of his collegiate career, while Ferguson has opened all 37 of his career contests.
• Two freshmen also saw their first action as Flames. Michael Diggins and Jacob Wiley got in the first game of the season for UIC.
• UIC was 0-5 in 2016-17 when scoring fewer than 70 points, but won with 65 on Friday.

Highlights



Up Next

• The Flames continue a busy stretch of four home games in eight days on Monday, Nov. 13 against Saint Joseph's at 7 p.m. CT.
• The Hawks, who were picked to finish third in the Atlantic 10, open the season Saturday at Toledo at 6 p.m. CT.
• Monday's game will be televised locally on NBC Sports Chicago. Jordan Bernfield and David Kaplan will be on the call.