Box Score Jan. 16, 2016
CHICAGO -- Milwaukee visited the UIC Pavilion Saturday afternoon and the Panthers used an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4-to-1 to help themselves storm past the UIC Flames in an Horizon League affair, 87-62.
Both sides emerged from the locker room with an abundance of energy to start the game. UIC and UWM were both getting up-and-down quickly and the Flames rushed out a 9-5 lead, thanks in large part to five early points from senior Paris Burns. The Panthers began to connect from downtown, however, and using an eight-point run, they grabbed a four-point lead with 15:35 remaining in the frame.
Exactly six minutes later UIC's Michael Kolawole splashed down a 3-pointer that trimmed a five-point deficit down to two, but two possessions later, Milwaukee erupted on a game-changing run. The Panthers scored 10 unanswered points, including seven by point guard Jordan Johnson, to create some breathing room with a 32-20 lead at the 4:51 mark. Another deuce by Kolawole momentarily put a damper on the surge, but UWM outscored the home team 27-6 over the final 8:43 of the frame to grab a 23-point lead at the half.
Milwaukee valued possession in the first half as it committed only one turnover when UIC's Dikembe Dixson stole the ball from J.R. Lyle. The visiting team also assisted on 13 of its 17 made buckets in the first 20 minutes, with Johnson accounting for six of those helpers. On the other side, the Flames were pressured into seven turnovers, leading directly to 10 points for the Panthers.
The second half was evenly matched throughout, and though Milwaukee outscored UIC once again, it was only by two points in the final 20 minutes. UIC turned it over only five times in the second half, and it shot 43.5 percent from the field and 78.9 percent from the free-throw line with 15 points at the stripe.
After scoring five points in the game's first 2:51, Burns was held out of the scoring column for the duration of the first half. The second period was a different story, however. The Chicagoan simply did not miss. He shot 5-for-5 from the field and made the only 3-pointer he attempted in the half. Burns, who stands 5-foot-11, threw down a powerful tomahawk jam at one point, and he also made all three of his free-throw attempts. He scored 14 points in 18 second-half minutes and finished the day with a season-high 19 points against Milwaukee.
Kolawole also had a strong presence on the floor throughout the afternoon. The freshman notched a career-best 11 points, marking the third time in four games he has contributed a double-digit scoring effort. He was also a key contributor on the glass as he hauled in a career-best six rebounds in a career-high 26 minutes of work.
Kolawole's classmate, Dixson, led UIC and matched Milwaukee's Matt Tiby with seven rebounds in the game. He also added 13 points, two assists and a steal. Tai Odiase contributed 11 points, four rebounds, a block and an assist for the Flames. Tiby led all players with a game-high 23 points.
Milwaukee finished the contest with 24 assists to only six turnovers, while UIC secured 11 helpers and was hindered by 12 turnovers. The 12 turnovers were the fewest for the squad through five Horizon League games, however.
UIC will play its third game in five days and begin a three-game road trip on Monday, Jan. 18 when the Flames travel to take on the Cleveland State Vikings at the Wolstein Center in the Rock and Roll Capital of the World. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. CST and the contest can be heard on the radio home of the UIC Basketball, ESPN1000 Chicago.
UIC Notes: UIC started the game with Paris Burns, Dikembe Dixson, Tai Odiase, Lance Whitaker and Jake Wiegand, marking the third time this season that head coach Steve McClain has opened with that group ... UIC has used 12 different combinations to start its 16 games thus far ... Dixson and Odiase have each started all 16 games ... Burns led the Flames in scoring for the first time this season ... Dixson led the bunch in rebounding for the team-best ninth time ... Whitaker led the Flames in assists for the ninth time, as well ... Odiase has blocked at least one shot in 14 of 16 games this season ... UIC sank to 2-6 at the UIC Pavilion this season ... The Flames shot at least 40 percent (42.9 percent) for the fifth time this season (1-4) ... Dixson is averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game in Horizon League play and leading his team with 38.4 minutes per game ... Milwaukee's 24 assists were the most for a UIC opponent this season.
