DeKALB, Ill. – UIC never led Saturday as Northern Illinois closed its own holiday tournament with a 92-81 victory over the Flames at the NIU Convocation Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
Dikembe Dixson scored at least 31 points for the Flames for second time in the tournament, shooting 58.3 percent from the field against the Huskies Saturday. The sophomore also got to the free throw line 20 times and he made a career-high 14 shots from the charity stripe.
 
Freshman Marcus Ottey scored a career-high 16 points for UIC, while classmate Tarkus Ferguson was also in double figures with 11. Dixson and Tai Odiase led the way on the glass with five rebounds apiece.
 
How It Happened

• Odiase scored four early points on his first two field-goal attempts, but a scoring drought of over three minutes helped Northern Illinois to an early 10-4 lead less than five minutes into the ballgame.
• The Flames couldn't develop any offensive rhythm in the early going. It seemed as though every time UIC netted a bucket, NIU quickly answered on the other end. The Huskies gained a nine-point lead, 22-13, out of the under-12 media timeout. Kyle Guice hit a 3-pointer for the Flames on the next possession, but NIU got another layup at the other end.
• Clint Robinson helped lead the second unit as he had a couple of physical baskets inside to help UIC slice the deficit to five points, 26-21 with 8:10 to go in the half.
• The Flames got the Huskies into foul trouble, reaching the double bonus with more than six minutes to go in the half. A pair of free throws from Ottey with 2:21 to go helped the visitors finally claw to within a point as NIU led 34-33.
• UIC was within one on two other occasions, but could never tie the score or gain the lead in the first half.
• The Huskies shot 50 percent (17-of-34) in the first 20 minutes and they scored 12 points off 10 UIC turnovers to take a four-point lead into the locker room, 42-38.
• A 3-pointer from Dixson, his third of the day, gave put the Flames back to within two five minutes into the half, but the Huskies scored six unanswered points to push the lead back to eight, forcing UIC to use a timeout with 13:32 remaining.
• Northern Illinois eventually got its lead back up to a game-high 14 points with 9:11 to go.
• UIC used an 8-0 run over 1:54 to cut its deficit to six points with 7:17 remaining, but a quick five-point surge got the edge back to double digits (11) with 5:25 left on the clock.
• Ottey scored an old fashion 3-point play for UIC to get back to within eight, but NIU's Aaric Armstead hit his second 3-pointer on the other end to halt the momentum.
• NIU went ahead by as many as 15 points with 2:42 to go, but UIC could come no closer than 11 when Ferguson hit a 3-pointer from the right corner in the waning seconds.

 
Beyond The Box Score

• UIC shot 41.4 percent (12-of-29) in the first half, and 50 percent (11-of-22) in the second. Those were the ninth and 10^th 20-minute segments this season that squad eclipsed 40 percent from the floor.
• The Flames have shot 50 percent or better in the second half of each of their last five games.
• Dixson is shooting 56 percent from the floor and averaging 27.2 points per game during that span.
• Odiase blocked one shot and he is now tied with Sherrell Ford (1992-95) for second place on UIC's all-time list with 164.
• The Flames are 0-3 when trailing at the half this season. They are 0-2 when losing the battle on the boards (31-29).
• UIC has scored at least 80 points in every game this season. The team entered play Saturday with the Horizon League's most prolific offense at 86.4 points per game.

 
What's Next?

• The Flames return to the UIC Pavilion on Wednesday, Nov. 30, when they host the Chicago State Cougars in the second of three consecutive in-state clashes.
• Game time is set for 7 p.m.
• The contest will be streamed live on ESPN3 and also heard on UICFlames.com.
• UIC won the last meeting between the programs, 80-69, on March 20, 2013. That game was part of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.