CHICAGO -- Tai Odiase became the all-time leading shot blocker in UIC history Saturday, but the Flames (3-6) fell to the visiting DePaul Blue Demons (5-4) on Saturday afternoon, 65-55.

Odiase blocked six shots on the afternoon and the first of the bunch was No. 274 of his career to help him pass Scott VanderMeer.
 
Max Strus led all players with 24 points in victory for the Blue Demons, while Dominique Matthews paced the Flames with 13 points.

Game Headlines

• Quick Whistle: UIC big men Odiase and Clint Robinson were each whistled for their second foul of the game with 18:22 and 16:22 left in the half, respectively. Both players were able to finish the half without getting a third foul called. Guard Godwin Boahen did get whistled three times in the half, last with 2:44 to go in the period. Overall, there were 21 combined fouls called in the first half.
• DePaul Makes First Run: The Flames led 8-6 after a Boahen 3-pointer before DePaul uncorked eight unanswered points to grab a six-point lead with 11:45 left in the half.
• Flames Surge Back: UIC, which committed 15 turnovers in the first half, would trail by as many as seven points in the period before a late comeback. Down 23-16, a Matthews 3-pointer ignited a small 8-4 run that made it a one-point game with 1:08 left in the half after another Matthews 3-pointer. DePaul scored on its next possession, however, to take a 3-point lead into the locker room at the intermission.
• Early Drought: UIC made 1-of-7 shots from the field to begin the second half, while DePaul made 4-of-6 to push the 3-point halftime lead up to 13 just 3:55 into the period.
• UIC Chips Away: The Flames chipped away and got the deficit down to eight points, 49-41, when Dikembe Dixson buried a jumper with 9:33 remaining in the game. Eli Cain answered on the other end, however, and DePaul eventually pushed the edge up to a game-high 14 points with 6:44 to go.
• Eight Is Great: UIC saved one of its best runs of the day for the next two minutes. Dixson stepped into a 3-pointer with 6:24 to go to spark a surge that stretched eight points and got the home team within six with 4:28 to go. In addition to Dixson (3), Odiase (3) and Boahen (2) supported the run offensively. Odiase also had two of his six blocks in that brief period.
• Close, But Not Quite: Strus connected on a 3-pointer with 3:04 to go and the Flames would come no closer than seven points the rest of the game before DePaul escaped the Pavilion with a 10-point win.

Highlights



Notables

• Tai Odiase blocked six shots Satuday to move into a first-place all-time with 279 rejections in a UIC uniform. Over UIC's last three games, the Glenwood, Ill., native is 6.0 blocks per game.
• After turning the ball over 15 times in the first half, the Flames had only three in the second half.
• UIC's bench outscored the Blue Demons, 14-8. Marcus Ottey led the reserves with eight points Saturday.
• Matthews scored a team-high 13 points. He has led UIC in scoring three times in nine games, more than any other player on the roster.
• Clint Robinson made his first two free throws Saturday, extending his streak to 24 in a row since Nov. 16. He missed his third attempt, ending the streak, before making two more to finish 4-of-5.
• Jordan Blount corralled a career-high eight rebounds for the Flames. He tied DePaul's Eli Cain for game-high honors on the glass.
• Dikembe Dixson matched a season high with three steals. He is UIC's career active leader with 60 thefts.
• UIC is 0-2 against in-state foes this season. The Flames have three more games against teams from Illinois this season, beginning on Dec. 19 at Illinois State.

Postgame Reaction



Up Next

• UIC takes a brief break from competition for semester exams before concluding this three-game homestand against the Dartmouth Big Green on Friday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.