Feb. 4, 2010
Box Score
CHICAGO- Jeremy Buttell's double-double and 17 points from Zavion Neely were not enough in the UIC men's basketball team's 74-63 loss to Cleveland State at the UIC Pavilion on Thursday night.
Buttell and Neely each scored 17 while Buttell pulled down 10 rebounds for the short-handed Flames (5-17, 1-11 Horizon League), who were without forward Brad Birton due to a left shoulder injury.
Robo Kreps added 11, Spencer Stewart scored seven and K.C. Robbins corralled seven boards.
Trevon Harmon scored 17 and D'Aundray Brown tallied 15 for the Vikings (11-12, 7-4 Horizon League).
The Vikings shot 58.6 percent (17-for-29) in the first half to build a 16-point first-half lead. UIC responded with a second-half charge that cut the deficit down to five in the middle of the final period. Buttell scored seven points during the Flames' half-opening 12-4 run that made the score 48-43 at the 14:11 mark.
But Cleveland State went on an 8-2 run that pushed the visitors' lead back to double digits, and the Flames ran out of gas from there.
"I think we were a step slow, and obviously losing is a hurting thing, but we're still trying," said UIC head coach Jimmy Collins.
UIC won the battle on the offensive glass despite the absence of the active Birton, pulling down 15 offensive boards and turning them into 20 second-chance points.
The Flames were hindered by rough three-point shooting, hitting just five of 23 (21.7 percent) from behind the arc.
UIC hosts Youngstown State this Saturday, Feb. 6 at 3 p.m.
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