Nov. 24, 2010
Final Stats
Final Box Score 
CHICAGO - Seniors Robo Kreps and Paul Carter both scored in double figures for the fifth-consecutive game, but the UIC men's basketball team shot just 32.7 percent from the field, and dropped a 62-52 decision versus Central Michigan at the UIC Pavilion Wednesday night.
Kreps scored a team-high 14 points, and Carter added 10, but the Flames were out-scored 30-10 in the paint. Central Michigan was led by freshman Trey Zeigler's 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting - he was joined in double figures by Jalin Thomas (13) and William McClure (12).
UIC (3-3) shot 33.3 percent in the first half and 32.3 percent in the second stanza. The Chippewas (2-3) built a 28-21 lead at halftime, and after building a 16-point lead, held off a late rally by UIC to post the 10-point win, their first road victory of the season.
"Central Michigan came in with a good game plan, and really got into us defensively," said UIC head coach Howard Moore. "They were very physical on our cuts, and changed their defenses around. Normally, that's something you can adjust to. But I thought were a little too tentative tonight. The disappointing part was that we weren't the aggressors on either end.
"Defensively, I thought we got off to a decent start; we came out and guarded their actions well and challenged some shots. But then they (CMU) got into a rhythm, got some deflections and got some stops. That got them going offensively. It was just disappointing that we didn't put together a solid performance at home. We looked like the fatigued team, rather than the team that was playing at home after being on the road for a few games."
After falling behind 4-0, the Flames rolled off 10-straight points, and claimed a 10-4 lead with 13:11 remaining in the opening half. UIC held the lead for the ensuing 7:20, before the Chippewas took a 19-18 advantage after a lay-up by McClure at the 4:56 mark.
CMU claimed its largest lead of the first half (26-18) after Thomas' first field goal. Kreps answered with a three-pointer on the other end, but Derek Jackson scored with 45 seconds remaining in the half to give the Chippewas a seven-point (28-21) lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
The Chippewas scored the first five points of the second half, and took a 33-21 lead with 17:47 remaining after a Thomas three-point field goal. The Flames trimmed the deficit to seven points three times in the ensuing six and a half minutes, but the Chippewas quickly answered with scores on the ensuing possession, including two field goals by Zeigler during the stretch.
CMU took a 51-39 lead with 7:55 remaining, and did not relinquish its double-digit advantage for the remainder of the game. The Flames pulled within ten (58-48) with 1:26 left, but could draw no closer.
UIC will host Toledo at the UIC Pavilion Sunday afternoon (Nov. 28) beginning at 3 p.m. The Flames defeated the host Rockets at last weekend's 2K Sports Classic, and has won four-straight over UT, dating back to the 2007-08 season.
