Feb. 18, 2016
CHICAGO -- UIC will retire jersey No. 11, the number worn by legendary guard Kenny Williams from 1990-94, in a pregame ceremony Friday night before the Flames take on the Detroit Titans in a Horizon League contest. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at approximately 6:40 p.m., with the game to follow at 7:05 p.m.
UIC had won back-to-back games, and three of its last four, before falling one point short in a double-overtime decision at Youngstown State on Tuesday night. Overall, the Flames are 3-2 in the second half of Horizon League play.
Detroit comes to the Windy City for the second game of a regular-season ending four-game road trip. The Titans are riding a two-game winning streak, and the squad has won five of its last six ballgames overall.
RAISE IT TO THE RAFTERS
Legendary UIC guard Kenny Williams will have his No. 11 retired in a pregame ceremony Friday before the Flames host Detroit. By the time the final buzzer sounded on his collegiate career in 1994, Williams had become the first player in program history to eclipse 2,000 career points, finishing with 2,025. He was also the second player to register more than 200 career steals, and he remains UIC's all-time leader in that category to this day with 237 thefts. The LaGrange, Ill., native ranks in the top three in program history in points, steals, assists, field-goal attempts, field-goals made, free-throw attempts and free-throws made. Williams becomes the third Flame to have his number taken out of circulation, joining former teammate Sherrell Ford (No. 24) and Mark Miller (No. 12) in receiving the honor. He is a member of both the UIC Athletics and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Halls of Fame.
DIXSON DAZZLES AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE
One day after being named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week for the seventh time this season, Dikembe Dixson turned in the most prolific effort of his young career at Youngstown State Tuesday. He posted career highs in points (40), field goals (16), field-goal attempts (39), rebounds (17) and minutes (50) in the double-overtime decision; he registered the sixth double-double of his career. Dixson's 40 points were the most in a single game by a UIC freshman, and the most for any player since Chuck Lambert scored 43 vs. Trinity Christian on Jan. 27, 1974. The Freeport, Ill., native's 39 attempts from the field were the most in program history, and the most by any NCAA player in a game this season. The 16 field goals tied for the most in program annals, and were most since Sherrell Ford sank as many shots on Feb. 2, 1995 vs. Wright State. Finally, Dixson is the only NCAA Division I player to score at least 40 points and register at least 15 rebounds in a game this season; he's the first to do it since Iowa State's Melvin Ejim had 48 points and 18 rebounds against TCU on Feb. 10, 2014.
PAINT PROTECTOR
UIC sophomore Tai Odiase blocked a career-high nine shots last Saturday against Northern Kentucky as he continues his meteoric rise through the program's all-time record book. That effort matched the best single-game output in program history, and he was named Horizon League Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 15 thanks in part to that effort. Odiase, who now owns 125 career rejections in 53 games, moved past Nate Chambers ('84-'88) on Feb. 11 and into sixth place on the program's career leaderboard for blocks. He is currently eight blocks shy of fifth place, which belongs to Joe Scott ('99-'04). The Glenwood, Ill., native has rejected 77 shots this season, which places him tied for third all-time among the school's single-season leaders. After adding six more blocks Tuesday at Youngstown State, Odiase leads the Horizon League and ranks fifth nationally with 3.1 blocks per game as of Feb. 17.
BONUS BASKETBALL
UIC has played three overtime games this season, tying the Flames for the high mark among Horizon League teams with Milwaukee. The Flames are 1-2 in extra-session contests with a win against Cleveland State and losses at Northern Kentucky and Youngstown State. This season marks the first time since the 2010-11 season that UIC has been involved in at least three games that went into overtime. The program record for the most overtime games in a single season, seven, came during the 2005-06 campaign. The longest game that the Flames have ever played was a quadruple-overtime triumph (112-106) over Milwaukee on Jan. 11, 2001.
WINDEX MEN
UIC exhibited its top effort of the season on the glass at Youngstown State on Feb. 16. The Flames corralled a season-high 63 rebounds, eight more than any other Horizon League team has notched in a game this season. That number ties UIC for seventh nationally on the season, it's the most since Dec. 27, 2015, and the most in any conference game across the NCAA this season. Dikembe Dixson (17) and Gabe Snider (8) posted career highs on the boards at YSU, while Tai Odiase (12) and Najeal Young (10) were also in double figures against the Penguins. UIC ranks second in the Horizon League and 11th in the NCAA with 41.5 rebounds per game.
UP NEXT
The Flames will close out the home portion of the regular season on Sunday, Feb. 21 against the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies at 4 p.m. Sunday is Senior Day, and UIC's two soon-to-be graduates - Gabe Snider and Jake Wiegand - will be honored and recognized. Tickets are available by calling 312-413-UIC1 (8421) or visiting Ticketmaster now.
