CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – UIC has advanced to the semifinals of the 10^th CollegeInsider.com Tournament by knocking off Austin Peay in thrilling fashion Wednesday night, topping the Governors 83-81 at the Dunn Center.
 
The Flames (19-15) trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half. The Governors (19-15) made one-of-two free throws with 10.4 seconds remaining to tie the game and called timeout to set up the defense. Godwin Boahen took the inbound pass from Tarkus Ferguson and dribbled across the timeline. He darted inside the arc and launched a jumper with 1.4 seconds remaining that propelled the visiting team to victory.
 
Boahen, making his second straight start, was one of four Flames in double figures with 16 points. Ferguson led the squad with 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
 
It was the eighth consecutive road win for UIC, the most in program history. Wednesday's victory marks the first time that the Flames have won at least 19 games in a single season since the 2003-04 campaign.
 
UIC will play in the semifinals on Wednesday, March 28. The opponent and location will be announced soon.
 
First Half Headlines

• Home Cooking: UIC maintained a small three-point lead with 2:24 gone by, but the Governors scored six unanswered points to gain their first lead of the night.
• Making It Closer: Dominique Matthews came off the bench for the Flames and his driving layup with 12:41 remaining in the period helped cut what had been a five-point deficit to one.
• Ready to Run: Less than a minute after Matthews' basket, Austin Peay opened a 10-0 run that helped to push the lead to a game-high 11 points with 8:09 remaining in the period.
• Ferguson Fires Away: Tarkus Ferguson began to heat up from beyond the arc in the final three minutes of the half. The sophomore buried a pair of long 3-pointers, the second of which cut it to a one-point game with 1:48 to go. Ferguson finished with a team-high 10 points and six rebounds in the first half.
• Turnover Troubles: The Flames were hampered by 12 turnovers in the first half, which helped the Governors tally 10 points.

 Second Half Headlines

• Govs Gain Steam: The Flames chipped away at the end of the first half, but Austin Peay took charge early in the second. The home team scored six straight points in less than two minutes to kick an eight-point edge up to 14 with 16:18 to go. That prompted UIC head coach Steve McClain to call a timeout. Boahen would make his first 3-pointer out of the stoppage in a sign of good things to come for the visitors.
• Spark Plug: Boahen's basket was a reversal of fortune for the Flames and it ignited a 14-2 run that brought UIC to within two, 49-47, at 12:20 when Matthews buried his own 3-point shot.
• Knot This: The Governors went back in front by as many as seven points on a couple of occasions before UIC finally tied the scored with 6:19 remaining on the strength of two free throws from Clint Robinson. The Flames could not yet get over the hump, however, because Averyl Ugba made a quick layup at the other end to put APSU back in front.
• Boahen's Barrage: Boahen finally helped the Flames break through with back-to-back 3-pointers in an 18-second span. The first, at 3:46, made it a one-possession game, while the next (at 3:28) gave UIC its first lead since it was 4-3 with 17:36 left in the first half. Austin Peay would tie the score once, with 10.4 seconds remaining, but it would never again lead Wednesday.
• One and Done: Following a timeout in a tie game, Boahen took the ball all by himself, drained nine seconds off the clock and made the game-winning basket with 1.4 seconds left.

 Notables

• UIC improved to 4-1 in postseason tournament games over the last two seasons. The Flames have won their first postseason game in three consecutive appearances (2013 CIT, 2017 CBI, 2018 CIT), and their first two in back-to-back years.
• The Flames have won 19 games for the first time since 2003-04. It is the seventh time in the program's history that UIC has won as many contests in a single season.
• The Flames set a new program record with eight straight road wins, surpassing the 2003-04 team's best mark of seven in a row. The Flames have not lost a true road game since Dec. 30, 2017 at Horizon League champion Northern Kentucky. They have not lost a true road game with Tarkus Ferguson in the lineup since Nov. 29, 2017 at Troy.
• UIC won when trailing at the half for just the fourth time this season. The other second-half comebacks came against IUPUI (twice) and at Green Bay. Three of the four comeback wins have come on the road.
• The Flames had at least four players score in double figures for the second time in the CIT and the 14^th time in 34 games. Ferguson scored at least 20 points (21) for the second time this season; Marcus Ottey (17) was in double digits for the team-high 25^th time; Godwin Boahen scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half; Tai Odiase chipped in with 10.
• Ferguson nearly missed his second double-double in as many CIT contests. The guard had a team-high nine rebounds to go along with 21 points. He also had four of the team's eight assists.
• UIC was hampered by 12 turnovers in the first half, but committed just three miscues in the final 20 minutes of the victory. The Flames scored more points (15) off Austin Peay's 10 turnovers than the Governors did (13) off 15 from UIC.
• After making only 2-of-9 3-point attempts, albeit long ones from Ferguson, in the first half (22.2 percent), UIC made 8-of-14 from downtown over the final 20 minutes for a clip of 57.1 percent. That evens out to 43.5 percent for the game and the Flames improved to 13-4 when connecting at a clip of better than 35 percent from distance. Austin Peay made only two 3-pointers all night (2-of-16).
• Austin Peay led for 32:38, but the Flames won the first ever meeting between the two schools.
• UIC is the only Horizon League team still alive in its postseason tournament. Wright State and Northern Ketucky lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and NIT, respectively.

 Up Next

• The Flames will soon find out their next opponent in the 10^th CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The semifinals will take place at campus sites on Wednesday, March 28.
• Northern Colorado defeated San Diego in Wednesday's other quarterfinal to advance. Sam Houston State takes on UTSA Thursday and Central Michigan travels to Liberty Saturday in the round's other matchups.
• The semifinals and championship game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.