CLEVELAND – UIC went on the road and picked up another Horizon League victory Saturday afternoon, toppling Cleveland State, 87-80. It is the third consecutive win away from home for the Flames (10-11, 5-3 Horizon League).
 
With five wins in the first eight conference games, UIC is off to its best start in conference play since the 2002-03 campaign. The three consecutive road wins mark the first three-game winning streak away from home since the 2008-09 season.
 
Godwin Boahen came off the bench and scored a team and season-high 18 points for the Flames. Jordan Blount added a career-high 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to achieve his second double-double of the season. Tai Odiase netted 12 points and became the 23^rd player in program history to reach 1,000 for his career. He now owns 1,006 points.
 
Cleveland State (5-16, 2-6 Horizon League) was led by freshman Tyree Appleby's 19 points and seven assists.
 
First Half Headlines

• Slow Start: Both teams struggled shooting the ball in the early going. UIC (3-of-9) and Cleveland State (4-of-12) opened by converting at a clip of 33 percent from the field, helping the Vikings get out to a slim 8-7 lead. Following a timeout, Marcus Ottey rolled in a layup for the Flames to begin a stretch when UIC would make six of its next nine shots.
• Away We Go: Cleveland State led 23-21 before Tarkus Ferguson ignited a 13-2 UIC run 3:40 to snatch a nine-point lead, the largest of the half. Godwin Boahen gave the Flames a 34-25 advantage with 3:17 left in the frame thanks to a pull-up jumper.
• Vikings Vault In Front: The Vikings went on their own 11-1 surge to take a lead in the final minute of the half. Two free throws from Tyree Appleby put the home team up by three, but they would not be able to maintain the lead for long.
• Buzzer Beaten: CSU's Kenny Carpenter clanked a 3-pointer and Tai Odiase ripped down the rebound with about 10 seconds to go in the period. Odiase passed to Dominique Matthews and Matthews found freshman Michael Diggins camped out in the corner in front of the Viking bench. With the horn coming soon, Diggins splashed down a triple as time expired that put the visitors ahead, 40-38 at the break.

 Second Half Headlines

• Push It Real Good: UIC jumped on Cleveland State to start the second stanza. The Flames got the lead back to double digits in a span of 4:26 when Ferguson stepped into a 3-pointer that gave his team an 11-point lead. The cushion expanded to 20 for the first time on a basket inside from Jacob Wiley with 11:54 remaining in the contest.
• Feeling 22: The Flames first extended the lead to a game-high 22 points when Matthews put back his own miss with 8:16 left on the clock. Later, Boahen connected from beyond the arc for one of his two 3-pointers that put UIC in front, 75-53, with 7:22 to go.
• Cleveland State Comes Back in a Hurry: The Vikings refused to go away quietly. CSU orchestrated a 12-0 run in less than three minutes (2:56) to cut the deficit down to eight with 1:48 left. Dikembe Dixson got to the free throw line and made a pair to regain a double-digit lead for the boys in blue.
• Flames Finish It Off: CSU's Bobby Word later made a 3-pointer that made it a five-point game with 8.8 seconds remaining. After a timeout and a foul, Ferguson buried a pair of free throws to seal the fate of the Vikings and propel UIC into the win column, 87-80.

Highlights



Notables

• UIC is 5-3 in the Horizon League play. That is the best start in conference contests under third-year head coach Steve McClain, and the best overall since the 2002-03 unit won six of its first eight League tilts also. That team finished with 12 wins in conference play and 21 victories overall.
• The Flames have won three consecutive true road games for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign. That squad topped Valparaiso (Feb. 15), Loyola (Feb. 27) and Youngstown State (March 3) in succession away from the UIC Pavilion.
• UIC has won consecutive games at Cleveland State's Wolstein Center for the first time since Feb. 22, 2006 and Dec. 27, 2006. The Flames won last season's meeting in Cleveland, 59-54.
• Tai Odiase became the 23^rd player in program history to join the 1,000-point club with 10:41 remaining in the first half. The milestone basket came on a put back of an offensive rebound. He finished with 12 points and owns 1,006 as Flame.
• Godwin Boahen scored a season-high 18 points off the bench, including 11 in the second half to lead UIC. It was the third time this season that the sophomore led UIC in scoring this season and he came off the bench all three times to do so (North Carolina Central, Kentucky, Cleveland State).
• UIC's leading scorer has been a reserve seven times in 21 games. Saturday marked the first time that the top point producer came off the bench for the Flames since Dec. 19 at Illinois State (Marcus Ottey).
• Jordan Blount recorded his second collegiate double-double. The sophomore posted a career-high 17 points and matched a career high with 11 rebounds in the victory.
• Dominique Matthews led the Flames with a season-high three assists.
• The UIC bench produced at least 30 points for the third time this season. The season-high, 39, came in a 40-point win over Delaware State on Nov. 16. The Flames also scored 32 points against No. 8 Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Nov. 26.
• The Flames shot 88.9 percent (16-of-18) from the free throw line Saturday. In two games on the road trip, UIC made 88.2 percent of its free throws with only four misfires.
• UIC improved to 9-0 when leading at the half and 6-1 when scoring at least 80 points.
• The Flames are 5-1 in January this season.

Postgame Reaction





Up Next

• Following a stretch of five games in 11 days, UIC will be idle until Saturday, Jan. 27, when it will host Horizon League newcomers IUPUI at the UIC Pavilion.
• The Flames won the first meeting this season, 70-65, in Indianapolis on Jan. 4. Dikembe Dixson and Marcus Ottey each scored a game-high 19 points to lead UIC.
• The Flames will celebrate Alumni Day next Saturday with former student-athletes from all teams and all eras invited back to the UIC Pavilion for a fun-filled afternoon. For more information, or to RSVP, please click here.