Jan. 22, 2000 - Chicago, Ill. Loyola guard Earl Brown hit back-to-back three-pointers and tallied nine of his game-high 26 points in overtime to lead the Ramblers past UIC this afternoon at the Gentile Center, 86-80.

UIC, which trailed 39-35 at the half, had three shots in the final seconds of regulation to win it, but a jumper by Jon-Pierre Mitchom with five seconds to play, a long three-pointer by Theandre Kimbrough three seconds later and a putback at the buzzer by Maurice Brown all failed.

After exchanging leads early in the overtime period, Loyola, which hit 4-of-5 from the field in the extra stanza, went ahead for good at the 2:51 mark as Earl Brown drained his fourth three-pointer of the game. The loss dropped the Flames to 6-14 overall and 1-4 in the MCC while the Ramblers improved to 11-7 for the year and 1-4 against MCC foes.

Maurice Brown, who burned Detroit in the MCC opener for 22 points and 18 rebounds en route to a UIC win, turned in another outstanding performance against a conference foe this afternoon as he finished with 22 points and 17 rebounds. Centers Joe Scott and Thor Solverson also played well for the Flames as they contributed 12 points and 10 points, respectively.

The difference in the game, however, was the guard play as UIC?s starting backcourt duo of Mitchom and Kimbrough hit just 8-of-30 from the field en route to a combined 23 points. Loyola guards Earl Brown and David Bailey, who came off the bench, enjoyed a much better afternoon as Brown drained 9-of-13 from the field and 5-of-7 from three-point range for 26 points while Bailey tallied nine of his 16 point at the free throw line.

?We need guards,? Head Coach Jimmy Collins said after the game. ?Our guards won?t penetrate, they?re not aggressive offensively and they are providing no leadership out there. We need warriors. We really could?ve used an Earl Brown today.?