DETROIT –  In an Horizon League Championship quarterfinal contest that featured eight ties and eight lead changes, it was the Milwaukee Panthers left standing and moving on with an 80-75 victory over the UIC Flames late Sunday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
 
Despite topping Milwaukee (16-16, 8-10 Horizon League) twice in the regular season by 16.5 points per game, the Panthers had UIC's (17-15, 12-6 Horizon League) postseason number yet again and eliminated the Flames from the conference tournament for the second consecutive season.
 
UWM took advantage of 16 UIC turnovers and turned the miscues into 25 points. On the other side, the Panthers coughed it up just eight times and tallied nine points as a result.
 
Sophomore Tarkus Ferguson paced the Flames with a season-high 23 points, adding a game-best seven assists and five rebounds to his line. The Belleville, Ill., native shot 70 percent (7-of-10) from the floor, 60 percent (3-of-5) from downtown and 100 percent (6-of-6) from the charity stripe.
 
First Half Headlines

• UIC's Eleven: Trailing by six in the very early going, the Flames uncorked an 11-0 run to take a five-point lead over Milwaukee with just 3:29 gone by. It was largely orchestrated by Jordan Blount and Ferguson as the pair scored all 11 points thanks to three 3-pointers and a driving layup.
• Milwaukee Makes Moves: The Panthers steadied their ship and eventually gained a six-point lead, the largest for either side in the half, with 7:46 to go after Carson Warren-Newsome split a pair of free throws.
• Back to the Start: A sweet slam dunk from Marcus Ottey pulled the Flames back within a point for the third time in a span of less than three minutes before Dikembe Dixson helped the Flames regain the lead at 33-32 with 2:13 left in the period. The teams would eventually enter the locker room even at 37 points apiece after 20 minutes of action.

Second Half Headlines

• Strong Start: A basket in the paint for Tai Odiase just 13 seconds into the second half put UIC in front and less than a minute later Milwaukee head coach Pat Baldwin used an early timeout. The Flames would maintain control and build the lead up to seven points with 12:32 remaining on another acrobatic layup from Ottey.
• Panthers Pounce: Milwaukee had taken back the lead with just under nine minutes left. With 6:57 remaining Brett Prahl scored a tough bucket inside and drew a flagrant foul after the conversion. He would make two free throws to put his team in front, 61-56, but the Panthers failed to extend the lead as Brock Stull missed a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession.
• Barnes' Blunder: UIC was down by seven with 2:39 to go when UWM's Bryce Barnes was whistled for traveling. He shoved UIC's Jordan Blount after the play and drew a technical foul. Ferguson would make both free throws to cut the deficit to five, but the Flames turned the ball over on the next possession and failed to capitalize further.
• Flames Fall Short: After the technical foul, UIC came no closer than within five points. Ferguson launched a long 3-pointer that found the bottom of the net with one second remaining to dictate the final margin, 80-75.

 Notables

• The Flames have won at least 17 games for the second consecutive season under head coach Steve McClain. It is the first time that UIC has won as much in back-to-back years since the 2002-03 and 2003-04 campaigns. The Flames registered 12 wins in League play, which was also the best total since 2004.
• UIC lost three consecutive games for only the second time this season. The Flames also fell to No. 8 Kentucky, Troy and Loyola over a three-game road trip between Nov. 26 – Dec. 2.
• Tarkus Ferguson scored a season-high 23 points. His previous season-high, 19, also came at Milwaukee on Jan. 29. He made all 16 free throw attempts against the Panthers this season.
• The Flames had at least four players score in double figures for the 12^th time in 32 games. Marcus Ottey (14), Dikembe Dixson (13) and Jordan Blount (10) all reached the mark.
• Both teams shot at least 80 percent from the free throw line. The Flames were a touch better at the stripe, hitting 20-of-24 for a clip of 83.3 percent.
• The Flames averaged more than 23 points per game from the bench, but received only eight from the reserves Sunday. Godwin Boahen led the second unit with four points, while Clint Robinson and Michael Diggins each netted two.
• UIC entered the game ranked second in the NCAA with 7.0 blocks per game. The Flames swatted eight shots Sunday. The NCAA's active career leader, Tai Odiase, sent back five. The senior now has 353 in 126 career games, ranking 42^nd and right in between notable names Dikembe Mutumbo (354) and David Robinson (352) on the all-time list.

Postgame Reaction



Up Next

• The postseason remains a possibility for the Flames. Stay tuned to UICFlames.com for updates on additional games.