PITTSBURGH – UIC (0-3) did not trail in regulation Monday night, but its bid for a road victory at Duquesne (2-0) fell short in overtime as the Flames fell, 89-88.
 
The visitors shot 51.7 percent from the floor and 53.8 percent from 3-point range against the Dukes, but 20 turnovers by UIC and 19 offensive rebounds by Duquesne made the difference.
 
A season-high five players scored in double figures for UIC with Tarkus Ferguson, Marcus Ottey and Rob Howard each contributing 18 points. Ferguson added a game-high 11 assists, while Howard paced the Flames with eight rebounds in 31 minutes off the bench. Duquesne's Sincere Carry led all players with 32 points and his layup in the final seconds sent the game into overtime.
 
First Half Headlines

• Knock Down: The Flames caught fire in the early going Monday night, knocking down eight of their first nine shot attempts, including the first five from 3-point range. That barrage, with triples from Ferguson, Howard and Travell Washington, helped UIC establish an early 16-6 lead with less than six minutes gone by in the game.
• Keep 'Em Coming: The Flames cooled slightly, but continued to connect at a prolific rate throughout the first half. The visiting team eventually pushed the lead to 14 with just over six minutes remaining when Godwin Boahen stepped into a 3-pointer off a feed from Howard.
• Bench Boost: Howard provided a significant lift off the bench Monday. He was 3-of-3 in 12 first-half minutes with a pair of 3-pointers. He also led all players with four rebounds at the break as he helped the Flames establish a 41-30 edge at the half.

 Second Half Headlines

• Look Out Below: Ottey had a strong sequence early in the second half. Following a 3-pointer by Carry that cut UIC's lead to eight, the guard knifed through Duquesne's defense and threw down a one-handed slam. After a defensive stop at the other end, Ferguson found Ottey for a left-wing 3-pointer that extended the lead back to 13 points.
• Final Surge: With the Flames in command for most of the second half, the Dukes began to charge back in the final three minutes. Diggins knocked down a 3-pointer that gave UIC a 12-point lead with 3:32 remaining in regulation, but Lamar Norman Jr. responded with one of his own get the deficit back to single digits. The Flames were still up by nine when Carry and Norman Jr. connected from downtown on back-to-back possesions to make it a 3-point game.
• Charity Stripe Struggles: Howard made two free throws with 61 seconds to go that helped UIC go back ahead by five. Ottey had a change to move the lead to six points when he drew a foul with 17 seconds to go, but he drew iron twice to keep the lead at four for the visitors.
• Carry Into Overtime: Carry scored a layup with 11 seconds to go, and following a turnover by the Flames, he made another basket at the rim in the final second to push the game into overtime. To that point the game had not been tied since Ottey scored the game's first basket with 1:59 gone by in the contest.

Overtime Headlines

• Digging a Hole: Duquesne built a three-point lead in overtime, its first advantage of the night, less than one minute into the extra period. Diggins was called for a flagrant foul for hooking a Duke while battling for a rebound. Eric Williams Jr. made two fouls shots and Duquesne retained possession. The home team added one more from the foul line to push the lead to 83-80.
• Down, Not Out: After Boahen stole the ball away from Williams Jr., Ferguson drove the lane and scored to make it a one-point game. The Flames then turned Williams Jr. away on the defensive end and Boahen tickled the twine with a 3-pointer that put UIC in front by two with 2:34 left. The lead was short-lived, however, because Norman Jr. made another 3-pointer on the next trip down that put Duquesne in the driver's seat for good.
• Buzzer Beaten, Flames Fall: Boahen drove the length of the floor and put in a layup before the final horn, but he did not draw contact and the game ended with Duquesne stealing a one-point won from UIC.

Notables

• The Flames have shot better than 50 percent from the field in back-to-back games. It is the first that has occurred since shooting 58.2 percent against Green Bay and 51.5 percent against Milwaukee on January 10 and January 12 of last season. UIC is shooting 45.9 percent on the young season.
• The team converted a season-high 14 3-pointers Monday, and it has made 27 shots from beyond the arc in the last two games. The Flames are shooting 47.4 percent from beyond the arc in the last two contests.
• UIC pulled down a season-high 37 rebounds at Duquesne, but the Flames fell short in the overall rebounding battle for the third time in as many games. Rob Howard's eight rebounds were the most in a game for a UIC players this year.
• Tarkus Ferguson dished out 11 assists to go along with 18 points for his first double-double of the season. It was the 12^th of his career, and the third with points and assists. He has eight with points and rebounds and one with rebounds and assists.
• Ferguson is shooting 60 percent from 3-point range in the team's last two games with nine 3-point field goals on 15 attempts.
• Howard (18) and Michael Diggins (12) each posted career highs in the scoring column Monday. Diggins made his first career start and chipped in with four rebounds and a block in 26 minutes.
• Marcus Ottey scored in double figures for the third time in as many games Monday with 18 points. He is shooting 62 percent (13-of-21) in UIC's last two games.
• Godwin Boahen had 16 points for the Flames. He has made at least one 3-pointer in 21 consecutive games for UIC.
• After turning the ball over 13 times in each of their first two games, the Flames were hampered by 20 miscues at Duquesne. Ten came in the first half, seven in the second half and three in five minutes of overtime.

Up Next

• UIC will return home and play inside the UIC Pavilion for the first time this season on Thursday, Nov. 15.
• The Flames will host William & Mary in the final game of the Gotham Classic at 7 p.m. CT. It will be the first game between UIC and the Tribe.
• The game will be televised locally on NBC Sports Chicago and also available outside the Chicagoland area on ESPN3.