CHICAGO – UIC put together a terrific all-around effort in the second half to blow past the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in the penultimate nonconference game of the season at the UIC Pavilion Tuesday night, 75-65.
 
The Flames (6-6) displayed excellent passing throughout the game as they registered 21 assists on 28 field goals in the game. Twenty-one assists tied a season high, while freshman Tarkus Ferguson's nine helpers were a career high and the most for an individual Flame this year. The squad was strong inside as junior Tai Odiase poured in a career-high 24 points on 8-of-10 from the field and 8-of-12 from the charity stripe.
 
UIC led Northern Arizona (3-10) by two at the half, but the Flames opened the second half on a 13-2 run to create separation. The edge ballooned to as many as 19 points before the home team sealed a 10-point triumph.
 
How It Happened

• UIC was stagnant on offense at the start, though it didn't last. Odiase muscled his way to five early points, but the Lumberjacks led at the first timeout, 8-5. The Flames sent in four fresh bodies to compete alongside Odiase and the second unit delivered. Dominique Matthews erupted for 11 points in a row to turn UIC's deficit into a 15-10 lead with 10:52 remaining in the half.
• The score was later tied at 20-20 with 7:39 to go in the period after NAU's Jordyn Martin scored inside. On the next possession, UIC's Ferguson canned a 3-pointer that set off a nine-point run spanning just over two minutes to build a 29-20 lead for the home team.
• Northern Arizona outscored UIC, 12-5, over the final four minutes of the half, but the Flames maintained a 34-32 lead as the teams retreated to the locker room at the half.
• Still nursing a two-point lead with a shade over 16 minutes to go in the game, an acrobatic layup by Marcus Ottey launched a 14-1 run that was capped by a 3-pointer from Kyle Guice with 11:38 remaining. Guice's triple gave UIC a 50-35 lead, its largest of the game to that point.
• The passing remained crisp like when Ferguson fed Odiase who slammed home the pass for two of his 24 points with 7:32 to go.
• A few minutes later, Ottey took off through the trees for the dunk of the day, off another pass from his classmate Ferguson. That jam put UIC ahead by 17 points, 64-47, with less than five minutes remaining.
• UIC's lead reached a game-high 19 points with 3:19 left in the contest when Michael Kolawole netted two of his seven points.
• Northern Arizona trailed by 18 still with 64 seconds to go, but the Lumberjacks scored 10 unanswered points in the final minute, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that fell in off the glass.

 
 
Beyond The Box Score

• UIC shot 57.1 percent from the field in the second half with 12 assists on 16 field goals. The Flames are shooting 52.5 percent as a team in the second half this season and they've outscored the opposition by a combined 55 points over the final 20 minutes of all 12 games.
• Odiase recorded a double-double in the second-straight game and the ninth time in the 70^th contest of his career. He had double-doubles in back-to-back games as a sophomore a year ago, accomplishing the feat at Youngstown State on Feb. 16 (22 points/12 rebounds), and vs. Detroit Mercy on Feb. 19 (12 points/10 rebounds).
• The junior center's eight field goals matched a season high (Nov. 19 vs. Trinity Christian), while his eight free throws equaled his previous career best (Nov. 17, 2015 at Western Illinois).
• Odiase also blocked a game-high two shots. He has recorded at least one block in 22 of UIC's last 23 games.
• UIC's trio of freshmen ball handlers – Boahen, Ferguson, and Ottey – combined for 16 assists and five turnovers against Northern Arizona.
• Ferguson's nine assists were the most since Lance Whitaker helped feed nine baskets against Green Bay on Jan. 14, 2016.
• Boahen's five helpers were the most since he handed out seven at San Francisco on Nov. 11.
• The Flames received 35 points off the bench with Matthews (11), Guice (9) and Ottey (8) accounting for 80 percent of that output.
• In the last two games, UIC owns a rebounding margin of +27 after winning the battle on the glass Tuesday, 38-29.
• UIC made four of its first eight 3-point attempts Tuesday night, but they finished the first half by sinking just one of their next seven attempts. Matthews and Kyle Guice drilled two triples apiece in the first half, while Ferguson had the other.
• The Flames were whistled for a season-low nine personal fouls.
• UIC is unbeaten (5-0) when leading at the half this season.

 
What's Next?

• UIC will have a quick turnaround before concluding nonconference play on Thursday, Dec. 22 at home against the Roosevelt Lakers at 7 p.m.
• The Flames will be playing their third consecutive contest at the UIC Pavilion and the third tilt in a season-long six-game homestand.
• Steve McClain's first victory as the UIC head coach came against Roosevelt on Nov. 24, 2015. The Flames downed the Lakers that night, 96-58.