CHICAGO-- UIC rained a team record-tying 17 3-pointers in a 73-56 win over Cleveland State at Credit Union 1 Arena Saturday afternoon. Tarkus Ferguson, coming off a career-high seven triples Thursday, had six more Saturday and a team-high 18 points. Jamie Ahale contributed a career-high four treys off the bench. Marcus Ottey and Godwin Boahen each had three for UIC, which evened its record at 9-9 and moved to 3-2 in Horizon League play.

The Flames limited Cleveland State (5-14, 0-6 HL) to 32.7 percent shooting and a mere 18.5 percent from behind the arc in the wire-to-wire win. Not all of UIC's damage was done from downtown, as they also amassed a 24-8 advantage in fast break points.

First-Half Highlights

• Cold as the Snow Outside: Neither team scored until the 16:30 mark, when Ferguson made his first 3-pointer, snapping a combined 0-12 slump at both ends. Boahen followed with a triple, and when Ferguson made another three from deep on the right wing it was four-straight makes for the Flames and an 11-2 lead, forcing Viking head coach Dennis Felton to call timeout.
• Bombs Away: Travell Washington continued the 3-point action, hitting from top of key. He then blocked a layup at the other endleading to another Ferguson three; a foul as the ball went through the net kept the ball under Flames control, and Ahale sank a three that spun around the rim several times before falling. By that time the lead was 18 points and the Vikings would never truly recover.
• Don't Discount Defense: Defensive highlights from the first half included Jacob Wiley blocking a two handed dunk attempt by Deante Johnson. Jordan Blount showed good hands under the Vikings' basket to save a loose ball to a teammate, and finished with a team-high eight rebounds.
• Highlight Reel Time: Cleveland State went on a 7-0 run as preseason All-Horizon League First Team selection Tyree Appleby got going with a layup and a three pointer, but then the squads combined to miss 13 straight shots.  Ahale ended that drought with his second 3-pointer, Blount made a steal leading to a runout, and later Michael Diggins reached back to catch a pass from Ferguson with two hands, and threw it down with one to complete the alley-oop.

Second-Half Highlights

• Doubling the Lead: The Flames led by seven at the break, but Ottey made sure that his team started the second half hot.  He made a three to start the half, and after a steal, assisted on a Boahen triple.  Diggins tigh-troped the baseline and took a nice feed from Ottey for a layup as the Flames extended their lead to 15.
• Back Behind the Arc: The Flames made four straight 3-pointers, the last by Ferguson from the Chicago star on the court 26 feet from the basket, making UIC's lead a game-high 21 and giving Felton no choice but to call a timeout to try to stem the tide.
• Dominating on D: UIC missed six straight shots, and went four and a half minutes without scoring, but their defense prevented CSU from capitalizing. The Vikings missed five straight of their own and committed four turnovers in the span. The Flames' drought was ended by an Ahale three at the five minute mark which tied the team record, followed immediately by an Ottey steal and slam.

Highlights



Postgame Reaction

 

Notables

• UIC's 17 3-pointers tied the record for a single game. It had been done twice previously and not since Feb. 8, 1996 against Northern Illinois.
• The Flames posted their largest margin of victory over Cleveland State (17 points) since an 82-59 win on March 5, 2013.
• Four Flames scored in double figures for the first time in Horizon League play, and for the first time in seven outings.
• UIC assisted on 20 of 26 field goals. Tarkus Ferguson had a game high six helpers, and Marcus Ottey added five.
• UIC's 10 steals were one off a season high, and tied the standard for conference play.
• Ahale finished with career highs of four three-pointers and 12 points.
• Tyree Appleby had a game high 23 points, but 12 of them came in the last 4:30 after UIC had built a 27 point lead.
• UIC converted 60 percent of its 3-point attempts in the second half, just the second time this year that they broke the 60-percent barrier, and the first since making 63.6 percent in the first half against Duquesne November 12.
• Dominique Matthews and Ralph Bissainthe each made their first appearance since the St. Francis (Ill.) game December 21.

Up Next

• A two-game road trip to Wisconsin will begin on Thursday.
• The Flames will visit Milwaukee Thursday at 7:00, and will take on Green Bay next Saturday at noon.
• UIC will then come back to Credit Union 1 Arena for a four game homestand starting January 24.