CHICAGO -- UIC (2-3) remained unbeaten at home by holding off a late surge from Bradley (3-1) to top the Braves, 71-70.

The Flames built a 14-point lead in the second half, but Bradley roared back to tie the game 63-63 with 4:49 to go. Marcus Ottey answered with a layup on the next possession and UIC never looked back.

Tarkus Ferguson posted his second double-double of the season with a game-high 22 points and 10 assists. He entered the game ranked seventh in the NCAA in total 3-pointers made and added to that total with four on Saturday night.

First Half Headlines

• Sluggish Start: After playing a grueling overtime classic on Thursday night against William & Mary, UIC may have had tired legs at the start of Saturday's ballgame. Bradley worked its way to an early seven-point lead, 13-6, with 14:26 to go in the half. UIC made only two of its first six shot attempts.
• Resilient Response: Following a timeout, UIC went on an 8-0 run to regain the lead. Jordan Blount hammered in a baseline dunk to start the surge and netted another tough basket inside less than two minutes later to put the home team in front 15-13.
• Keep It Close: Neither side could create separation in the first half. The Flames and Braves traded leads of no more than four points for the duration of the first half. Godwin Boahen's two free throws with 23 seconds to go in the period were the last scores and they helped UIC take a 40-36 lead into the locker room at the break.

 Second Half Headlines

• Came Out Firing: The Flames opened the second half on a 12-2 run over 2:12 that took the lead up to a game-high 14 points. Ferguson started the run with one of his four 3-pointers and he helped punctuate with an assist to Rob Howard for a layup that made the score 52-38 with 16:43 remaining.
• Cool It Down: A 3-pointer from Boahen had the lead still at 14 points, but it was the last points the Flames would post for a stretch of over four minutes that allowed the Braves to climb back to within five points. Ferguson dropped a dime to Howard for a two-handed flush with 10:53 remaining that ended the drought.
• Braves Continue to Battle: Bradley put the clamps down defensively and methodically chipped away to tie the game at 63 points apiece with 4:49 remaining. Marcus Ottey made sure the visitors wouldn't take lead, however, as he drove into to traffic to net a layup that put UIC back in front.
• Last Gasp: The Flames made only 2-of-6 free throws in the final 40 seconds and Bradley was within a point with 5.7 seconds to go after a pair of misses could have put UIC ahead by three. The Braves did not have a timeout and the Flames guarded hard, forcing Darrell Brown to take a tough shot that drew iron and sent UIC home with a 71-70 triumph.

Highlights



Notables

• Tarkus Ferguson topped the 20-point mark for the third time this season and the ninth time in his career. That is more than any active UIC player.
• In UIC's last three games, Ferguson is averaging 21.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.0 rebounds per contest. He's shooting 67 percent from the floor (22-of-33) and 68.4 percent from 3-point range (13-of-16).
• Ferguson registered his second double-double of the week and the 13^th of his career. It was his ninth career double-double with points and assists.
• Ferguson, Marcus Ottey and Godwin Boahen have scored in double figures in all five games for the Flames this season.
• The Flames blocked a season-high nine shots Saturday, matching their output for the first four games combined. Jacob Wiley swatted a career-high four shots and Ferguson matched his personal best with three.
• The victory snapped a three-game slide against Bradley and gave UIC its second win all-time against the Braves.
• UIC had a halftime lead for the second time this season and the first time at Credit Union 1 Arena. The Flames are 1-1 overall with a lead after 20 minutes.
• UIC won the rebounding battle for the first time this season Saturday. The Flames pulled down 31 rebounds to Bradley's 28.

Postgame Reaction





Up Next

• Following a daunting stretch of five games in 12 games to open the season, UIC will take the next six days off from competition. The Flames will resume the slate on Saturday, Nov. 24 against Wisconsin-Parkside.
• The Rangers will be making their second visit to Chicago in as many seasons. UIC toppled UW-Parkside, 76-48, on Dec. 6, 2017.
• The contest will tip at 3:12 p.m., a nod to UIC's immediate ties to the City of Chicago and the area code of the campus.