CHICAGO -- UIC roared back into the win column Wednesday night by trouncing Division II foe Wisconsin-Parkside, 76-48, at the UIC Pavilion.

The Flames (3-5) shot 51.9 percent from the field in the win, while holding the Rangers (1-6) to a mark of 26.1 percent. UIC led by 10 at the half before outscoring Wisconsin-Parkside in the second period, 41-23. The home team shot close to 54 percent in the final 20 minutes, while the defense locked down the visitors and the Rangers shot only 23.5 percent.
 
Dikembe Dixson scored a game-high 17 points to pace the Flames, while Tai Odiase added 11. Odiase also blocked a season-high seven shots to move into a tie with Scott VanderMeer for first place on the school's all-time list with 273 rejections.

Game Headlines

• Flames Start Fast: UIC scored first just 12 seconds into the game when Tai Odiase buried a one-handed jam off a feed from Jordan Blount. The Flames scored the game's first six points before Wisconsin-Parkside got on the board with a 3-pointer with 3:30 gone by. The Rangers missed their first six shots with Odiase blocking two of the offerings.
• Rangers Warm Up: Wisconsin-Parkside was down by nine points and shooting just over 14 percent (2-of-14) before finally finding an offensive rhythm. The Rangers made four of their next six attempts, trimming three points off the deficit in that span as UIC led 21-15 with 7:56 to go in the half.
• Ahead at the Break: UIC led at the half by 10 points after Marcus Ottey went coast-to-coast after grabbing a rebound and laying it in in the waning seconds of the half.
• Second Half Surge: The Flames carried the momentum back to the floor after the break with a 14-1 run over a 4-minute segment in the early going. Dominique Matthews, Dikembe Dixson and Godwin Boahen did the offense's heavy lifting during the surge that put the home team ahead 49-29 with 14:28 to go in the ballgame.
• No Letdowns: Once UIC snatched the first 20-point lead, its cushion never dropped below 17 points the rest of the way. Jacob Wiley's first career 3-pointer with under a minute to play gave the Flames their largest lead of the night at 28 points, and it was one that they would hold on to for the remainder of the contest, winning, 76-48.

Highlights



Notables

• Tai Odiase blocked a season-high seven shots Wednesday to move into a first-place tie with Scott VanderMeer with 273 rejections in a UIC uniform. The senior's seven blocks against the Rangers were the most since he swatted eight shots in a win over Detroit Mercy on Jan. 6, 2017.
• As a team, UIC blocked a season-high 12 shots. Jordan Blount added three and Jacob Wiley and Clint Robinson had one each. It was the third time in the Steve McClain era that the Flames blocked 12 shots.
• Robinson made all six of his free-throw attempts against Wisconsin-Parkside to extend his personal run to 22 consecutive conversions from the charity stripe. He trails Charles Brakes by two for the sixth-longest streak in program history. Robinson's run began in the win over Delaware State on Nov. 16.
• Marcus Ottey corralled a career-high nine rebounds Wednesday, including seven in the first half, which tied his previous best. UIC's Godwin Boahen, at 5'11", tied Ottey and UW-P's Joe Borcia (6'9") for game-high honors on the glass.
• Boahen had a team-high four assists with no turnovers.
• Dikembe Dixson scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Flames in scoring for the second time this season. He also poured in 23 points in an overtime game against Saint Joseph's on Nov. 13.
• UIC outrebounded its opponent for only the second time this season, besting the Rangers, 43-35. The Flames are 2-0 when winning the battle on the boards (Delaware State).
• The Flames had a season-low 11 turnovers, one of which was an intentional shot-clock violation in the closing seconds of the 28-point triumph.
• For the first time under McClain, UIC held an opponent under 50 points in a game. The last time the Flames stifled an opponent under 50 points came in a 61-48 victory over Wright State on Feb. 28, 2015.
• UIC got to the free throw line 25 times and shot 76 percent (19-of-25) from the stripe. Parkside had only four trips to the line, making three shots.
• The 10-point cushion the Flames held at the break marked the second largest of the season. UIC led Delaware State by 34 at halftime on Nov. 16 before finishing with a 40-point victory. The Flames are 3-0 in eight games this season when leading after 20 minutes.

Postgame Reaction





Up Next

• UIC welcomes crosstown foe DePaul to the Pavilion on Dec. 9 at 3 p.m.
• The game will be televised on NBC Sports Chicago with Jordan Bernfield (play-by-play) and Jonathan Hood (analyst) on the call.
• The Flames won last season's meeting in Lincoln Park, 80-75, on Dec. 14, 2016. UIC trailed by eight points at the half, but outscored the Blue Demons, 45-32, over the final 20 minutes to secure the road win.