Feb. 17, 2010

Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS- The UIC men's basketball team kept up with 15th-ranked Butler for a half, but the Flames were unable to stay with the Horizon League regular-season champion Bulldogs after intermission in a 73-55 loss at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.

Robo Kreps scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the second half, and Jeremy Buttell added a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Flames (6-20, 2-14 Horizon League).

Matt Howard scored a game-high 17 points for Butler (24-4, 17-0 Horizon League).

Both teams had a rough time from the field in the game's opening 20 minutes, as UIC shot 29.2 percent (7-for-24) while also holding the Bulldogs to 32.3 percent (10-for-31) shooting from the floor in the first half. The Flames also forced the dangerous downtown threats of Butler to struggle as well, as the Bulldogs hit just two of their 12 attempts from beyond the arc.

The first 12 minutes of the game were closely contested, with the Flames taking a two-point lead midway through the inaugural half. But Butler rattled off a nine consecutive points, eventually leading by 10 in the first and taking an eight-point advantage into intermission.

When the two teams returned from the locker rooms for the second half, Butler began to pull away. The Bulldogs outscored the Flames 17-9 in the period's first 6:22, and UIC would go scoreless for almost five minutes to allow Butler to build a lead of 26 points with less than four minutes remaining.

The Flames connected on threes during their next three possessions, but it was too late at that point for UIC to mount any comeback.

Butler rebounded from its first-half woes with 46.7 percent (14-for-30) shooting in the second half, while UIC went just 9-for-27 (33.3 percent) in that same period.

UIC heads to Evansville, Ind. to face the Purple Aces in the annual BracketBusters game beginning at 7 p.m.

Fans can listen to podcasts featuring exclusive interviews with UIC head coaches, staff and student-athletes in two ways:

1. Download the free UIC Athletics Widget and click on the "UIC Flames Podcasts" link

2. Download podcasts for free on iTunes by searching "UIC Flames."

Fans wishing to learn more about affordable and flexible UIC ticket plans are encouraged to call 312-413-UIC1 or visit www.uicflames.com and click on the "Tickets" tab on the Flames home page.