YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio –  UIC connected a season-high 14 times from 3-point range and turned it over a season-low nine times to pick up a well-earned road win in Horizon League play at Youngstown State, 92-78.
 
Marcus Ottey exploded for a career-high 29 points, shooting 80 percent (12-of-15) from the field with a career-best four 3-pointers. He also added five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in the victory for the Flames (9-11, 4-3 Horizon League).
 
Tai Odiase chipped in with a season-high 17 points for UIC, while blocking five shots. His fifth and final block of the game with 13:02 remaining was the 310^th of his career, making the senior the Horizon League's all-time leader in that category.
 
As a team UIC shot 50 percent and 53.8 percent from beyond the arc. The Flames were lethal from the free throw line, too, missing only twice in 16 attempts (87.5 percent). The visitors also accrued a season-high 21 assists on their 32 field goals.
 
First Half Headlines

• Downtown Damage: UIC was finding success from 3-point range in the first half. The Flames made six of their first 10 attempts from beyond the arc with Tarkus Ferguson and Godwin Boahen both making their first two shots from distance. UIC finished the first half with nine 3-pointers, connecting at a clip of 56.3 percent from deep.
• Block Party: The Flames posted six blocks in the first half, including four from senior Tai Odiase. Those four rejections brought him up to 309 for his career, tying him with former YSU standout Damian Eargle for the Horizon League's all-time lead.
• Protecting the Rock: UIC was charged with only three turnovers in the first half. That was the fewest for any period since the Flames also had three in the first half of a victory over Trinity Christian on Dec. 23.
• Penguins Push Back to Close Half: UIC led by 11 points after an Ottey 3-pointer with 4:15 to go in the first half. The Flames closed the half on a 12-4 run, however. YSU pulled within a point with 1:39 to go, but Odiase made the half's final basket, beating the shot the clock with two seconds to go in the period. The basket helped the visitors take a 46-43 lead into the locker room at the break.

 Second Half Headlines

• Youngstown State Leads…Briefly: The Penguins pressed ahead and took a 57-56 lead with 14:48 to go in the game. Jordan Blount beat the press on the way back down for UIC's next possession, laying the ball in to regain the lead.
• Odiase Owns Record: About a minute after the Flames went up by four thanks to a corner 3-pointer from Tarkus Ferguson, Odiase cemented his place atop the Horizon League record book. Tyree Robinson drove to the rim, but Odiase rejected his effort for career swat No. 310.
• Flames Create Space: The lead was back down to a point with 8:37 remaining, but seven unanswered points created an eight-point cushion, the largest of the half to that point. Ottey scored the first four before Dominique Matthews splashed home a 3-pointer to put UIC in front, 77-69, with 6:13 to go,
• Ice In The Veins: Playing from behind, Youngstown State was forced to put the Flames at the free throw line down the stretch. In crunch time, the final 3:44, UIC made 8-of-9 from the charity stripe to put the Penguins away. The defense also forced a pair of turnovers in that time.

Highlights



Notables

• UIC made a season-high 14 3-pointers, eclipsing the previous best by two. The Flames also shot a season-high 53.8 percent from beyond the arc, the highest mark since shooting 53.6 percent in an overtime win at Milwaukee on Feb. 4, 2017.
• The Flames turned the ball over a season-low nine times against YSU's full-court pressure. That marked the lowest amount of miscues since committing nine against Eastern Illinois on Dec. 4, 2016.
• UIC had five players score in double figures in a balanced attack. It marked the second time this season that the Flames had five players in double figures and both instances came on the road (at No. 8 Kentucky). Two of the five players came off the bench in both games, and Godwin Boahen was one of them in both cases.
• The Flames had a season-high 21 assists. Tarkus Ferguson was in double figures with a game-high 10 as he registered his first double-double of the season and eighth of his career with 14 points.
• UIC blocked 11 shots as a team, marking the fourth time this season it hit double digits in that category.
• The Flames finished with 92 points for the second consecutive time at the Beeghly Center. UIC won the last meeting prior to Thursday, 92-89 in overtime, on Jan. 14, 2017.
• UIC improved to 8-0 when leading at the half this season.

Postgame Reaction





Up Next

• UIC will conclude its busy stretch of five games in 11 days on Saturday, Jan. 20, when it will take on Cleveland State at 2:30 p.m. CT.
• The Flames will be playing their first day game on the road since Saturday, Dec. 2 at Loyola Chicago. It is the first day game overall since Saturday, Dec. 23 against Trinity Christian. The team is 1-3 in day games this season.