CHICAGO -- The UIC Flames (11-11, 6-3 HL) used a 12-point run in the second half to seize control of the game in an eventual 71-62 win over IUPUI (7-14, 4-6 HL) Saturday afternoon at UIC Pavilion.  Jordan Blount's career high 14 rebounds and constant defensive pressure helped the Flames overcome an eight-point deficit and sweep their newest Horizon League rival.

Marcus Ottey scored 18 points to tie for game-high honors.  Dikembe Dixson (15) and Tai Odiase (11) joined him in double figures.  UIC added to its best start to conference play since 2002-03, and has won six of its last seven games.
 
First Half Headlines

• Blount Accounts for Openers: Jordan Blount's fingerprints were all over the Flames' 6-1 run that started the game.  He fed Tarkus Ferguson for a dunk off the opening tip, made a confident pass to Tai Odiase for a fallaway one-hander, accounting for UIC's first two buckets.  Soon after, he swiped the ball from D.J. McCall in open space, helping to keep IUPUI without a field goal for the first four minutes.
• Jaguars Fight Back, Take Lead: IUPUI broke the seal with three consecutive 3's, and held the lead briefly until the Flames tied the game at 12.  The Jaguars shifted gears and worked inside for consecutive baskets, and then Ron Patterson's third triple made it 19-12.
• It's All Ottey: Marcus Ottey brought the Flames' offense back to life, elevating for a high-arcing teardropper, and later driving through contact as he made a layup while getting fouled.  Unfortunately, Ottey was the only Flame to score for over six and a half minutes.  During that span, IUPUI built their largest lead of the first half, an eight point margin.
• Flames Close the Gap: The Flames whittled their deficit down to two late in the first half.  Dikembe Dixson had a three pointer and a pair of free throws, and Blount and Godwin Boahen combined to harass Aaron Brennan near halfcourt, coming away with a steal that became a Blount tip-in and one.

Second Half Headlines

• More Marcus: Ottey went on another personal run to start the second half.  He made the Flames' first three field goals coming out of the locker room, all from close range.
• Robinson Ends a Funk: Both teams went into an extended funk, combining to shoot 0-for-12 over a nearly five minute span until 12:14 remained.  Clint Robinson exploded, ending the drought with a layup and then making another shot in the paint as the shot clock expired.  Soon after, he blocked a shot that led to a runout for Boahen.  His layup gave UIC its first lead, at 42-41, since the 14:45 mark of the first half.
• Back and Forth with Boahen: Boahen took over the scoring for the Flames.  Scoreless until his aforementioned layup, he hit two three pointers as the teams traded the lead four times in two minutes.
• Flames Engineer Decisive Run: The Flames, who ran a full court press throughout the second half, had their defensive aggressiveness pay off.  Blount tied up a Jaguar ball handler and won possession on the arrow, and tossed a crowd-pleasing alley-oop to Odiase.  After two free throws by Ottey, Blount took away another steal and ran it in himself for a dunk.  And when Blount rebounded a free throw and fed Odiase for an acrobatic reverse layup, the Flames had a 61-50 lead thanks to a 12-0 run.
• UIC Closes Jaguars Out: Patterson added to his total with two more three-pointers as IUPUI tried to mount a comeback, but the Flames had enough offense of their own to maintain a double-digit lead inside the last minute of play.

Postgame Reaction

• Steve McClain
  
   
• Jordan Blount and Tai Odiase
  

 
News and Notes

• Blount finished with a career high 14 rebounds, the most for a Flame since Odiase grabbed 14 at Oakland last February 19.
• The Flames overcame a cold-shooting first half (33%) to make 60% (15-25) in the second half.  It gave them at least one half over 50% in each of the last seven games.
• Odiase blocked four shots, matching the four he had in the first game against IUPUI.  It was his 10^th game this season with at least four.
• Ottey's 18 points led UIC, marking the ninth game this season that the sophomore led the team in scoring and breaking a tie with Dixson for most on the team.
• Odiase finished one rebound shy of his first double-double of the season.
• The Flames held their own on the offensive glass, matching IUPUI with nine apiece and holding the Horizon League's second-leading team to three below their season average.
• Ron Patterson tied Ottey with 18 points on the strength of 6-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc.  The Flames held the rest of the Jaguars to 1-for-9 from downtown.
• UIC has won three straight games for the second time this year, matching their string from Jan. 6-12.
• The Flames engineered their first sweep of a Horizon League opponent this year, as they also defeated IUPUI in Indianapolis on January 4 to kick-start their current 6-1 run.  It was the first time facing an opponent for the second time this season.
• UIC has won two times when trailing at the half, with both of those wins coming against the Jaguars.
• The Flames grabbed 10 steals, tying their high water mark, achieved two other times this season.

Up Next

• After a short turnaround, the Flames will travel up I-94 to Milwaukee for a Monday evening showdown win the Panthers.
• Tipoff is slated for 7:00, and the game can be seen on ESPN3.
• UIC will be shooting for another Horizon League sweep, as they defeated Milwaukee at home, 88-73, on Jan. 12.