CHICAGO -- Dikembe Dixson and Marcus Ottey scored 20 points apiece, leading a torrid second half that saw UIC (17-12, 12-4 HL) lead by as many as 17 before defeating Detroit Mercy (8-21, 4-12 HL) 94-87 at UIC Pavilion Monday evening.

The Flames shot over 54 percent for the game and their second half numbers were even better, at 63 percent overall, and an eye-popping 73 percent from 3-point distance.

UIC had two 20-point scorers for the first time since January 12 in Dixson and Ottey. Jordan Blount contributed a double-double (15 points and 10 rebounds) and Michael Diggins had a career-high 11 points. UIC blocked eight shots to overcome a game high 30 points from Detroit Mercy's Kameron Chatman.

First Half Headlines

• Detroit Debuts From Downtown: Detroit Mercy kept the pressure on the Flames with a couple of early 3-pointers. Jordan Blount made a running one-hander in the lane, and Marcus Ottey had a triple of his own, but the Titans held a 10-8 lead at the first media timeout.
• Torrid Titans: The visitors stayed hot from all spots on the court. They made eight of their first 13 shots, and four of six threes, building a lead of as many as 10 points and forcing UIC head coach Steve McClain to call timeout to regroup his squad.
• Flames Get a Spark: Immediately after the timeout, Ottey made a layup and Michael Diggins turned a steal into a three-point opportunity. But soon Corey Allen became the fourth Titan to make a three – doing so on consecutive possessions – and Detroit Mercy maintained a 12-point cushion.
• Quickly Into the Lead: It took UIC less than four minutes to erase the Titans' lead. Blount made a reverse layup off a sweet feed from Tarkus Ferguson, and later Tai Odiase upped the ante with a reverse jam on an alley-oop from Ferguson. Three-point trips by Diggins (from downtown) and Ferguson (old fashioned 3-point play) buttressed what eventually became a 19-3 run.
• Dixson Leads First Half Scoring: Dikembe Dixson dominated the late stages of the first half.  He swished a triple, and turned a steal into a breakaway slam, on his way to 13 first-half points.

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Second Half Headlines

• Balanced at the Beginning: Five points by Josh McFolley were part of a quick Titan burst that put them ahead by a point early in the second half. Kameron Chatman had seven points in the first four and a half minutes. Ottey had six of his own, and Blount equaled his first half output with six as well, and the teams traded the lead through the first six minutes.
• Blount With the Burst: Blount scored six straight Flames points, and grabbed five rebounds in nine minutes, helping the Flames establish a seven point lead.  Also critical to the spurt were two blocks by Clint Robinson, both on would-be layups by Roschon Prince, and two by Odiase.
• Flames Run Out to Big Lead: UIC's lead got up to a to-that-point high 10 following a three pointer by Diggins. The Flames began the second half 4-of-5 from behind the arc. Further triples from Dominique Matthews and Ferguson helped the Flames build a 17-point lead.
• Titans Refuse to Fold: Detroit Mercy found its stroke during a 7-0 run. Ottey scored five quick points, keeping the lead in double digits until Isaiah Jones converted a layup and then an authoritative slam dunk to slice the deficit to seven.
• Dikembe Shuts the Door: Dixson made a three pointer, and then a dunk off of a Titan turnover, to give the Flames the breathing room they needed to render Detroit Mercy's last minute string of five free throws insufficient.

Postgame Reaction




 
Notables

• With their 12^th win in Horizon League play, the Flames tied their best total since the 1993-94 team won 14 conference games.  Three other squads since then also won 12 league contests, with the most recent coming in 2003-04.
• Combined with Oakland's loss to IUPUI Monday, UIC clinched no worse than third place in the final Horizon League standings. The two teams ahead of the Flames, Northern Kentucky and Wright State, both visit UIC Pavilion this week.
• The team has won 17 games for the second straight season under Steve McClain.
• UIC's first-half comeback was made possible in part by aggressive drives. Late in the first half, the Flames were 12-of-17 from the free throw line, while Detroit Mercy's three point strategy yielded only nine attempts from the charity stripe.
• Detroit Mercy's largest lead came after the Titans started the game shooting 10-for-15. In the last 10 minutes of the first half, they made only three of 12 field goals. Meanwhile, the Flames went 10-15 to turn the 12-point deficit into a six-point halftime advantage.
• Blount recorded his second straight double-double, third in Horizon League play and fourth of the season.
• UIC's output of 94 points was their second highest in Horizon League play, trailing only the 100 they scored against Youngstown State on February 8.
• Diggins' 11 points were good for a career high, surpassing his previous mark of nine. He made 3-of-3 3-point attempts Monday.
• 3-point shooting was contagious throughout UIC's lineup. The team made 12 of 23 (52.2%) of their long balls, marking their second best percentage of the season.
• Tai Odiase moved out of a seventh place tie, and into a tie for sixth place on UIC's all-time rebounding list. He finished with (710), moving even with Armond Williams and passing Nate Chambers (708).
• The Flames defeated Detroit Mercy for the fourth straight time, establishing their longest winning streak in the series that dates to 1995.
• Detroit Mercy became the fifth team to be swept by UIC this regular season. The Flames also won both games against Milwaukee, Green Bay, IUPUI and Youngstown State.

Up Next

• UIC will continue its regular-season ending homestand on Friday night against Horizon League co-leader Northern Kentucky.
• Tipoff at UIC Pavilion will be at 7:00 pm.
• Discounted tickets for as low as $10 are available at Ticketmaster with the code "GOUIC".