Jan. 13, 2007

Box Score

Chicago, Ill. - The UIC men's basketball team showed no signs of a letdown following its upset of #12 Butler earlier in the week, retaining its position on top of the Horizon League standings with a 79-73 win over crosstown rival Loyola on Saturday afternoon at the Pavilion.

With the win, the Flames moved to 4-1 in the league and leveled their season ledger at 9-9. UIC also snapped a four-game losing streak to the Ramblers, the preseason Horizon League favorite who dropped to 3-3, 11-7 overall. The Flames are now 6-1 at home this year.

Junior T.J. Gray led the way for the Flames, scoring a career-high 22 points, including six three-pointers. Sophomore Josh Mayo and junior Robert Bush each finished with 11 points.

Sophomore Scott VanderMeer continued his assault on the UIC single-season blocks record with six more swats against Loyola. He also led the team with five rebounds. Freshman Spencer Stewart ran the offense effectively off the bench, tallying seven assists without committing a turnover in the game.

Sophomore J.R. Blount led three Ramblers in double figures with 22 points. Senior Blake Schilb, who was plagued with foul trouble, scored 15 points, 13 of which came in the first half.

The score was 64-61 with just 2:02 remaining when a Gray three-pointer from the wing put the Flames back up by six. Following a pair of free throws from Loyola freshman Andy Polka, a bucket by Bush ignited an 8-0 run that put UIC ahead to stay.

The Flames will look to continue their winning ways on Wednesday night when they take on UW-Milwaukee at US Cellular Arena at 7 p.m.