CHICAGO -- In a game that featured two high-octane offenses, the UIC Flames were able to outlast the Youngstown State Penguins at the UIC Pavilion on Thursday night, 84-81. The Flames finished a regular-season sweep of YSU and they improved to 2-1 in the second round of Horizon League play.

The two teams truly went back and forth all night long. The Flames (13-12, 6-6 Horizon League) led for 18:56, while the Penguins (10-16, 4-9 Horizon League) held the edge for 19:02. The score was tied for 1:47.

For the third consecutive game, UIC's Dominique Matthews posted a career high in the scoring column. The Chicagoan posted a personal-best 28 points with a career-high five 3-pointers. He led four Flames in double figures as Tai Odiase added 12 and freshmen K.J. Santos and Marcus Ottey posted 10 apiece. It was Ottey's first appearance since the last time UIC and YSU met on Jan. 14 in northeast Ohio.

Cameron Morse did the heavy lifting for the Penguins with 44 points on 18-of-38 from the floor, matching a career high in scoring. That was the highest point total for any individual in the history of the UIC Pavilion.

How It Happened

• UIC got off to a nice start as it sprinted out to a 13-6 lead over the first four minutes of action. Matthews, making his third start of the season, scored seven of the first nine points for the Flames.
• Youngstown State used an 11-2 to grab its first lead of the evening, 26-25, on a 3-pointer from Morse.
• The Penguins built their lead up to nine points with 5:38 remaining in the period thanks to an 8-0 run and another bucket from Morse. UIC began to string together stops and capitalize on the other end. A 3-pointer from Matthews with a shade under two minutes left in the half made it a one-point game. Morse and Matthews traded scores on the next two possessions before Odiase slammed home an alley-oop feed from Ottey with a minute remaining to get the Flames a 47-46 lead.
• YSU's Latin Davis connected from downtown just 20 seconds later, but Ottey was able to beat the shot clock, and the halftime buzzer, with a flying one-hander with three seconds left to even the score at the break.
• The Flames played from behind over the first four-minute segment of the second half before Clint Robinson corralled one of his five offensive rebounds and dunked it back home to garner a slim 56-55 lead with 4:25 gone by.
• UIC eventually pushed the cushion back to six points with another vicious Odiase slam, this time from K.J. Santos, with 12 minutes remaining.
• The Flames cooled after Odiase's jam and Youngstown State used a 14-2 run over the next 6:30 to take an eight-point lead. Matthews ended his team's drought and sparked another run with a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to five with five minutes and change to go. Less than a minute later Santos splashed in a triple of his own to get UIC back to within one.
• With 3:28 to go, Morse buried a trey that gave the Penguins a four-point lead, but that was the last field goal YSU would muster. Two free throws from Santos made it a one-possession game with 3:14 to go and a minute later Tarkus Ferguson buried a 3-pointer that gave the Flames the lead for good, 81-80. Robinson added two clutch free throws down the stretch, while Matthews his one of his own with 14.6 seconds left to seal the conference win.

 Beyond The Box Score

• Matthews has scored a career high in each of UIC's last three games. He netted 28 Thursday night and in two games against the Penguins this season, he is averaging 24.5 points while shooting 58.8 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from beyond the arc.
• Matthews made his third start of the season and his first since Dec. 4 against Eastern Illinois. He is averaging 13.3 points per game in Horizon League play while coming off the bench in 11 of those 12 games.
• Ottey, playing for the first time since Jan. 14, dished out a career-high six assists, while adding 10 points Thursday.
• Robinson secured five offensive rebounds, marking the eighth time he had corralled at least four caroms on the offensive glass for the Flames. His 10 total rebounds matched a career high (also Dec. 22 vs. Roosevelt).
• The Flames sank 10 3-pointers against Youngstown State. It was third consecutive time and the fifth time this season that the team made double digits from beyond the arc. UIC is shooting 45.7 percent (42-of-92) from 3-point range over its last four games.
• UIC collected at least 50 rebounds (50) for the third time this season and the second time in Horizon League play. All eight players who saw action picked up at least three rebounds, while three had at least seven. Matthews' seven boards matched a career high. The Flames are 11-5 when outrebounding the opposition this season.
• The Flames improved to 11-4 in night games and 5-5 in games decided by five points or less.
• Thurday's game marked the first time this season that UIC found itself in a tie game at the half. It is 10-2 when leading at the break and 1-0 when tied.
• UIC completed its first season sweep of Youngstown State since the 2012-13 season. UIC's six Horizon League wins are the most since that same year (seven).

What's Next?

• UIC will host Cleveland State in its penultimate home game on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 3 p.m. CT.
• The Flames won the first meeting against the Vikings in Cleveland on Jan. 12, 59-54. It was UIC's first victory over CSU at the Wolstein Center since Dec. 27, 2006.