CHICAGO -- For the second time in as many games, the UIC Flames went to overtime, and on Thursday night they came out on top against William & Mary, 100-95.
Godwin Boahen forced the extra period with a mid-range jumper in the final seconds of regulation.
Tarkus Ferguson posted a season-high 25 points, while Boahen added a career-best 24, including six pivotal points in overtime.
First-Half Headlines
- Full Speed Ahead: The Flames and Tribe opened the game like a track meet, racing up and down the floor with little stoppage in the early going. Three fouls were called in the first 2:47, including two on W&M big man Nathan Knight. After UIC's Jordan Blount was whistled at the 17:23 mark, the teams played for more than five minutes without a whistle. William & Mary turned the ball over at 12:08, but by then there were 30 combined points scored with the visitors in front, 16-14.
- Tribe Takes Control: Marcus Ottey rolled in a layup that gave UIC a short-lived 18-17 lead with 10:45 left in the period, but Chase Audige's 3-pointer gave the Tribe the lead right back. William & Mary would build its lead up to as many as nine points with 3:04 to go before taking a seven-point lead into the locker room at the half, 45-38.
- Balancing Act: The Flames had several players involved offensively in the first half. Nine different players got on the court and eight of them had at least one basket. With two 3-pointers, Ferguson led the group with eight, while Blount and Ottey has six apiece. At the other end, Matt Milon scored 19 of William and Mary's 45 points over the first 20 minutes with the help of five 3-pointers.
Second-Half Headlines
- Hot Start: UIC came back recharged and ready to mount a comeback. The Flames outscored the Tribe, 14-6, over the first 3:46 to gain on a one-point lead on a Ferguson layup. A 7-0 run that featured four points from Ferguson and a 3-pointer by Michael Diggins helped ignite the home crowd and put the Flames in front, 54-51. About two minutes later UIC pushed the lead to seven points.
- Back-and-Forth Battle: The Tribe soon erased the deficit and built up a five-point lead of its own with 10:32 remaining before back-to-back 3-pointers from Ferguson fired UIC back into the driver's seat with a one-point edge at the 9:13 mark.
- No Surrender: The Flames trailed by three in the final minute of regulation when Ottey drew a foul. He split a pair of free throws with 59 seconds to go, but then helped force a tough shot and grab a long rebound on a misfire from Glen Ellyn, Ill., native Justin Pierce. With fewer than 20 seconds to go the ball was in Boahen's hands. The junior drove and pulled up in the lane, converting a shot that tied the game at 82 points apiece.
- Can You Dig It: Pierce had a chance to be the hero as he drove to the basket in the waning seconds, but Diggins met him at the rim and sent his effort the other way. Rob Howard grabbed the rebound and helped guarantee five more minutes in the classic.
Overtime Headlines
- Fire Away: Ferguson scored five quick points in overtime, sandwiched around a W&M bucket, to give UIC a three-point lead with 3:12 to go. Milon answered with a triple at the other end, but Ottey found a sweet spot in the left corner and buried long-distance effort that gave the Flames the lead once and for all.
- Ice It Down: The Flames, who scored eight points in five overtime minutes Monday, scored eight points from the free-throw line alone during the extra session Friday. UIC shot 80 percent from the stripe in the final five minutes, with Boahen going 4-for-4.
Notables
- The victory was 200th as a Division I head coach for UIC's Steve McClain.
- The Flames have won three consecutive home openers under McClain.
- Godwin Boahen's 24 points marked a career high. He has made at least one 3-pointer in 22 consecutive games after knocking down a pair Thursday. He also matched a career high with four steals.
- Tarkus Ferguson led the Flames with 25 points, a season high. He knocked down at least five 3-pointers for the second time in four games this season.
Postgame Press Conference
Â
