FAIRBORN, Ohio -- UIC held Wright State to a mark of 32.8 percent from the field, but the Flames were undone by 20 turnovers in the first conference game of the season, falling 65-61.

It was the fourth time this season that the Flames (5-9, 0-1 Horizon League) were troubled by at least 20 turnovers. Wright State (9-5, 1-0 Horizon League) had only nine miscues in the ballgame, marking the fourth time this season, and third time in four games, that UIC's opponent had single-digit mistakes with the basketball.
 
UIC was led by Marcus Ottey's game-high 16 points, while Tai Odiase contributed seven points, seven rebounds and a game-high four blocks. Grant Benzinger had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds plus four steals for the Raiders.

First Half Headlines

• Fitness Test: The game lasted 8:34 before the first timeout of the ballgame. There was a foul at the 16:01 mark, but then nothing until the ball went out of bounds with 11:26 to go in the first period. WSU led 17-8 at the first stoppage.
• Ottey is Offensive: Sophomore Marcus Ottey, making his third consecutive start and fourth of the season, scored the game's first four points and eight of the first 13 for the Flames. The guard made five of his first six shots in the opening half.
• Turnovers Tilt Toward Raiders: UIC turned the ball over 10 times in the first 20 minutes, while WSU coughed it up just four times. The Raiders scored 13 points of the miscues, while the Flames netted only one basket off turnovers. The mistakes helped the home team build a lead of as many as 10 points in the first half with 5:53 remaining in the period.
• Letting Us Play: The first half saw only nine combined fouls called on the two sides. Only one player, UIC's Jordan Blount was whistled twice. The Flames went 3-of-3 from the free throw in the first half and the Raiders made both their attempts.
• Flames Finish on Fire: While Wright State led 25-15 at the 5:53 mark, UIC closed the half with a vengeance and on a 14-4 run that left the score knotted at 29 points at the break. UIC first scored seven unanswered points in the surge and eventually tied the score at 27-27 with 1:46 remaining in the half when Dominique Matthews canned a deep 3-pointer from the left wing. The Flames briefly trailed again in the final minute before Ottey dented the scorebook once again with a smooth layup.

 Second Half Headlines

• Dixson Does Early Damage: Dikembe Dixson was limited to four points in the first half, but quickly scored UIC's first six in the second half. Those tallies helped the Flames snatch a slim four-point lead on a couple of occasions in the first two minutes of the period.
• Playing Catch-Up: After Michael Diggins tied the score at 38 points apiece with a 3-pointer from the right corner with 13:14 remaining, Wright State quickly regained the lead with a layup on the next possession. The Raiders maintained the advantage for more than nine minutes, however, the home team never went in front by more than five points during that span.
• G For Three: After missing most of the last three games with an injury, sophomore Godwin Boahen stepped up and buried one of the biggest shots of the night with 3:46 to go. Dominique Matthews swung the ball from the top of the circle over to Boahen on the left wing and the guard splashed down his first triple of the night, one that gave the Flames a 54-53 advantage.
• Raider Rally: UIC led by one, 57-56, after an Ottey layup with 2:24 to go, but after Wright State went back in front 14 seconds later on a pair of free throws, it would never trail again. It was one-possession game most of the way, but the Raiders went 9-of-10 from the free throw line in the final 2:10 to seal the four-point victory.

 Notables

• Marcus Ottey led the Flames in scoring with a game-high 16 points. It was the fifth time in 14 games that he paced the squad offensively and the third time in the last four games. The Toronto, Ontario, native also handed out a team-best three assists at Wright State.
• Over the last four games, Ottey is averaging 16.0 points per game and shooting 59.1 percent (26-of-44) from the field.
• Dikembe Dixson inched closer to 1,000 for his UIC career. The sophomore poured in 11 on Thursday and now owns 995 in a Flames uniform.
• Tai Odiase blocked a game-high four shots. It was the sixth time in 14 games this season that he has tallied at least four. The senior ranks second among all active NCAA players with 291 career rejections.
• Godwin Boahen finished with seven points, two rebounds and an assist in 16 minutes off the bench. He missed most of the last three games with an injury.
• Dominique Matthews made his team-high 30^th 3-pointer of the season in the first half. It was the 100^th of his career. No other UIC player has more than 11 this season (Boahen and Dixson). Dixson is also second to Matthews among active UIC players with 63 career triples.
• The Flames shot over 90 percent from the free throw line (90.9 percent) for the first time this season. UIC made 10-of-11 attempts Thursday.
• UIC won the rebounding battle, 39-36. It was the seventh consecutive game that the Flames corralled more boards than the opposition after losing that category six times over the first seven games of the season.
• UIC is 0-2 when tied at the half this season. The Flames were knotted with the Raiders at the break, 29-29, Thursday, and with Fort Wayne on Nov. 18, 25-25, at the UIC Pavilion.
• The Flames dropped to 0-3 in games decided by fewer than five points this season. It has occurred twice in the last four games (also Dec. 19 at Illinois State; one point).
• Wright State took a 30-27 lead in the all-time series. The Raiders have won four consecutive games against the Flames dating back to the 2015 Horizon League Championship.

Up Next

• The Flames continue a three-game road trip on Saturday, Dec. 30 at Northern Kentucky. The Norse was picked to finish second in the Horizon League preseason poll, one spot ahead of the Flames.
• Saturday's contest, which tips off at 6 p.m. CT, will be televised locally on NBC Sports Chicago. It will also be streamed on ESPN3, but subject to blackout in the Chicagoland area.