Jan. 3, 2009

Box Score

CHICAGO- A furious rally attempt late in regulation by the UIC men's basketball team could not overcome a poor shooting second half by the Flames in a 66-61 loss to Green Bay at the UIC Pavilion on Saturday night.

The Flames (8-5, 1-2 Horizon League) cut a 16-point deficit with 7:30 remaining all the way down to three with just 32 seconds left, but UIC was unable to get any closer.

UIC shot just 28.6 percent (8-for-28) from the field in the game's final 20 minutes, including a 1-for-11 second-half showing from behind the three-point line.

The Phoenix (10-4, 3-0 Horizon League) had a completely opposite display from the floor, shooting 50 percent from both the field (13-for-26) and downtown (4-for-8).

Josh Mayo led UIC with 22 points and six assists. Scott VanderMeer added nine points and eight rebounds, while freshman forward Jelani Poston brought a spark off the bench with eight points and four rebounds in 11 minutes.

Green Bay's Terry Evans led all scorers with 28 points on 11-for-16 shooting to go with eight rebounds, while Troy Cotton nailed four three pointers during an 18-point effort.

"I think we're much better than we're playing [right now]," said UIC head coach Jimmy Collins. "Winning is an attitude, and we have to have some people out there that will fight for a win."

The Flames started off strong, going up by as many as 11 in the first half. UIC led 20-9 on Rob Eppinger's layup with 6:50 in the opening stanza before the well went dry for the hosts. Green Bay proceeded to go on a 15-0 run over the next four minutes to take a 22-20 lead as the Flames took, and missed, just four shots in that span.

UIC evened up the game going into break on Robo Kreps' long jumper to beat the buzzer.

But the Flames' shooting woes continued into the second half, as UIC missed its first five shots of the period and went on to go 2-for-17 from the floor over the course of the half's first 12 minutes. The Phoenix took advantage of the Flames' shooting slump, going up 52-36 on Ryan Tillema's three.

That's when UIC went on its run. Chris Buchanan scored five points and Poston added a pair of free throws in a 40-second span to bring the deficit down to nine. After Green Bay went back up by 14, UIC went on a 9-0 run that was capped by Poston's three-point play.

A see-saw battle that took place predominantly at the charity stripe saw the Flames continue to chip their disadvantage down. Mayo hit a pair of free throws that brought UIC to within three, and Rahmon Fletcher hit just one of two at the other end to put Green Bay up 63-59 with 31 seconds left.

Spencer Stewart missed a runner, and Poston's close-range fadeaway after getting the offensive board was unsuccessful. There was a scrum for the loose ball underneath the UIC bucket, and it was deemed that the Flames had called a timeout when they were without any left that caused the officials to assess UIC a technical foul. Mike Schachtner hit the subsequent free throws to put the Phoenix up six with 12 seconds left, essentially cementing the game for the visitors.

The Flames head to Ohio for their next two league contests, beginning with a game against Youngstown State at the Penguins' Beeghly Center this Thursday, Jan. 8 at 6:30 p.m. Central. The game will be broadcast live on WIND 560 AM.