Dec. 23, 2006
Box Score
Chicago, Ill.- Despite Othyus Jeffers' fifth double-double of the year and strong team shooting from behind the arc, the UIC men's basketball team could not hold off a late Redbird run as the Flames fell to Illinois State, 77-69, at the Pavilion on Saturday afternoon.
The loss snapped a six-game home winning streak for UIC (6-8) dating back to last season.
Jeffers scored 10 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double.
T.J. Gray led UIC with 14 points, hitting four of his six three-point attempts. Gray's hot three-point shooting led a 50 percent Flames effort from behind the arc (11-for-22), with Spencer Stewart (2-for-4), Karl White (2-for-4) and Jovan Stefanov (2-for-5) contributing to the UIC cause from downtown.
Stefanov finished with 12 points and five boards, while frontcourt mate Scott VanderMeer chipped in five boards and a game-high four blocks.
Illinois State (8-4) took a 36-32 lead into intermission after a back-and-forth first period. The Redbirds then went on an 8-0 run midway through the second half to take its biggest lead of the game, 56-45, at the 11:35 mark.
UIC fought back in a big way. The Flames rattled off an 18-6 run, capped by White's second three-pointer during the stretch, to take a 63-62 advantage with just under five minutes remaining.
But Illinois State would re-take the lead for good, outscoring the Flames 15-6 in the final stages of the game to reel in the win.
The Flames' reserves outscored Illinois State's bench by a 30-22 margin.
Associate head coach Mark Coomes stepped in to coach the Flames during Saturday's game. Prior to the contest UIC Athletic Director Jim Schmidt announced that head coach Jimmy Collins is taking a personal leave of absence from the team effective immediately, with no timetable given for his return.
