CHICAGO -- Tyree Appleby scored 25 points and had nine assists to lead an efficient Cleveland State (7-20, 4-10 HL) offensive attack in an 86-78 win over UIC (15-12, 10-4 HL) Saturday night at UIC Pavilion. The Vikings shot over 60 percent from 3-point distance in the first half and made 47.5 percent of their field goals on the evening. UIC turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 24 CSU points.

Marcus Ottey scored 14 to lead five Flames in double digits. Tai Odiase had a team-high seven rebounds and four blocks. The Flames whittled a 12-point deficit down to two on four separate occasions in the second half, but could not break through to tie or take the lead.

First Half Headlines

• Vikings Reign From Deep: Cleveland State scored 33 of 48 first-half points from beyond the arc, shooting 61 percent on 18 attempts. The success from beyond the arc helped the Vikings take a 10-point lead into the locker room at the half. Cleveland State's last four field goals of the half all came from downtown.
• Success the Second Time: Cleveland State corralled eight offensive rebounds in the first half and made the Flames pay almost every time. The Vikings scored 14 second-chance points, while giving up only four such tallies on the defensive end.
• Flames Falter in Final Five: UIC had a five-point lead with 5:14 left in the first frame when Dominique Matthews buried one of his two first-half 3-pointers from the right corner. Back-to-back triples from CSU's Jamarcus Hairston gave the Vikings a 34-33 lead, and sparked a 20-5 run that ended the half.

Second Half Headlines

• Flames Make a Run; Vikings Respond: Cleveland State quickly grabbed their largest lead of the game, 12 points, on an Appleby jumper to begin the second half.  The Flames cut the deficit in half with an 8-2 run over the next 2:02, but the visitors regained momentum and erased UIC's progress by scoring the game's next six points.
• Defense Does Its Part: UIC implemented a full court press in the second half.  Their defensive pressure paid dividends by forcing Cleveland State to operate with a reduced shot clock in the front court, and a string of missed shots ensued.  UIC was able to chip away at the lead via a combination of short-range jumpers and free throws.
• Close, But No Cigar: The Flames kicked their offense into a higher gear after finding themselves down by 10 points at the 8:33 mark.  A 10-2 run brought them to within a bucket, and the home crowd was energized.  Though Cleveland State found some footing and saw some shots drop, the Flames were able to get back within two points three additional times before the two minute mark.
• Vikings Hold On: The Vikings kept their poise down the stretch.  They made 7-of-8 free throws in the final 90 seconds and held the Flames without an offensive rebound on any of their missed shots in the span.

News and Notes

• The Flames entered the game with a chance to sweep their fifth Horizon League opponent of the season, but were unable to do so for the first time when encountering that situation.
• Cleveland State shot 61 percent (11-18) from behind the arc in the first half.  They attempted only four 3-pointers, making one, in the second half.
• UIC was also on fire from deep in the first 20 minutes.  They made half of their 16 attempts, but only converted four of 14 (28.6%) after the break.
• Five Flames scored over 10 points for the first time since the Jan. 18 win at Youngstown State.
• Appleby's nine assists tied the season high by Flames' opponents.
• Cleveland State finished the game shooting 54.5 percent on three pointers, a season high by Horizon League opponents.
• The Vikings assisted on 15 of 17 first half field goals, and finished the game with 20 assists and 13 turnovers. The Flames posted a negative assist to turnover ratio (12:17).
• Odiase had four of UIC's eight blocks. CSU did not block any shots all night.

Postgame Reaction

Steve McClain


Tai Odiase & Tarkus Ferguson


Up Next

• The Flames will travel to Green Bay, Wis., where it will take on the Green Bay Phoenix in the final road test of the regular season on Friday, Feb. 16. The game will tip at 8 p.m. CT.
• The game will not be played at Green Bay's primary home facility, the Resch Center, but rather at their on-campus gymnasium, the Kress Center.
• UIC toppled Green Bay in the first meeting this season, 84-73, at the UIC Pavilion on Jan. 10.  The Flames shot a season-high 58.4 percent from the field in that victory.