Box Score Nov. 13, 2015
CHICAGO -- UIC led San Francisco with less than two minutes to play in the season opener for both squads , but the Dons made the critical plays down the stretch to pull off a 78-75 in front of a raucous crowd over more than 4,000 fans at the UIC Pavilion.
Playing in their first game of the Steve McClain era, the Flames used 12 different players in the contest, and 11 of them dented the scoring column. Five UIC student-athletes made their collegiate debuts Friday, including Dikembe Dixson, who led the squad with 13 points.
"I was really proud of our kids' effort tonight," said McClain. "They had a fight. They believed they were going to win the game and when you're building a program, that's one of the steps. You have to show that fight when it's not quite going good. We played hard.
"I can't say enough about the crowd we had in the building," McClain said. "It was great. My challenge to them is to keep coming back and keep this up. I'm really proud of our fans. All I can tell them is to keep growing with this team and keep helping this team."
The Flames struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the early going of the season's premiere tilt. UIC failed to connect on its first six attempts from the field before junior Najeal Young scored inside with just under four minutes gone by. The offense soon found its way, however, and a 3-pointer from senior Paris Burns capped off an 11-5 run that gave UIC a slim 15-13 edge with 12:40 to go in the opening stanza.
Later, UIC built its largest lead of the night, a five-point cushion with 7:22 to go in the half when Lance Whitaker connected form downtown on one of two 3-pointers he would sink on the evening. The teams would trade brief runs until the first-half buzzer sounder with the Dons ahead on the scoreboard, 38-36.
With its five starters combining to play only 41 minutes in the first half, UIC's bench rose to the occasion. The reserves poured in 23 points, led by six from Whitaker. Burns paced the squad with nine first-half points.
San Francisco plodded its way to a five lead, 43-38, 2:30 into the second half, but the Flames methodically chipped away. A triple from the top of the key by Dixson soon tied the score at 49-49 before Jake Wiegand corralled an offensive rebound and put it right back in to give UIC its first lead of the half, 51-49, with 14:51 to go.
The Dons owned a one-point lead with just under seven and a half minutes remaining, but Wiegand turned in a nice up-and-under move inside to give his team the edge once again. After baskets from Gabe Snider and Markese McGuire, UIC led 64-60 with 5:56 to go in the ballgame.
San Francisco chipped away this time and the visitors were able to tie the game at 73-all when Uche Ofoegbu scored an old fashioned 3-point play with 1:57 remaining. Nate Renfro converted a layup 30 seconds later and the Dons would not trail again.
UIC had one final chance after calling timeout with 4.5 second to go, but McClain's squad could not convert in the closing seconds and the Dons escaped with a victory.
UIC took good care of the basketball as it committed only 10 turnovers in the game, but the Flames shot only 36.8 percent from the floor and 61.1 percent from the free-throw line Friday. The defense stood tall by forcing 16 miscues by the Dons. Sophomore Tai Odiase provided a strong backbone to the defense as he blocked a career-high five shots, while four other players had at least one rejection. UIC also had six different players pick up a steal in the season opener.
The Flames will hit the road for the first time on Tuesday, Nov. 17 when they invade Macomb, Ill., to take on the Western Illinois Leathernecks at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on ESPN3 and heard on ESPN1000 Chicago with Jonathan Hood and Kenny Williams on the call and Chris Bleck handling pre-game and halftime duties.
UIC is back home at the Pavilion on Tuesday, Nov. 24 when the Roosevelt Lakers visit at 7 p.m. For tickets, please call 312-413-UIC1 or visit Ticketmaster today.
