GREEN BAY, Wis. – Godwin Boahen scored a career-high 25 points Saturday afternoon and Tarkus Ferguson reached a career milestone with his 1,000^th point, but the UIC Flames dropped a fast-paced contest at Green Bay, 90-85.

Four players scored in double figures for UIC (9-11, 3-4 Horizon League), including Boahen. Marcus Ottey added 19, while Michael Diggins had a career-high 16 points. Ferguson finished with 15 and a team-high nine rebounds.

The Flames made 12 3-pointers against the Phoenix (10-10, 4-3 Horizon League), including nine in the first half. It was the eighth time this season that UIC converted at least 12 triples.

First-Half Headlines

• EARLY MISCUES: After turning the ball over a season-low eight times in its last game at Milwaukee on Jan. 17, UIC was hampered by miscues in the early going Saturday. The Flames had five turnovers in the first four minutes and change, helping Green Bay establish a 10-5 lead with 15:49 remaining in the period. UIC quickly cleaned up the mistakes and finished the half with only two more turnovers for a total of seven.
• HEATING UP: The Flames trailed 19-14 with 12:11 to go when Godwin Boahen sparked a 10-0 run over a quick 1:06 that helped the visitors move in front, 24-19. Boahen made two triples during the run, while Rob Howard also scored and Tarkus Ferguson threw down a dunk.
• CATCHING FIRE: UIC continued to press forward, extending the run to the tune of 15-2, giving the Flames a 29-21 lead. Michael Diggins got involved with a 3-pointer and Howard scored again to extend the lead.
• TRIPLE THREAT: The Flames made nine of their first 11 attempts from beyond the arc in the first half Saturday. The team's nine 3-pointers matched the high for any half this season. UIC also made nine in the first half against Youngstown State (Jan. 10), and in the second half against Cleveland State (Jan. 12).

Second-Half Headlines

• GREEN BAY GAINS CONTROL: The Phoenix trailed by two points at the break and UIC pushed the lead to five on three occasions early in the half on the strength of an alley-oop featuring Ferguson and Diggins, a jumper by Ferguson and a layup by Ottey. That play put UIC in front, 52-47, but on the next possession Green Bay began a 16-4 run that pushed the lead to seven points with 14:18 to go.
• FLAMES FIGHT BACK: The visitors trailed by as many as nine points before mounting another high-energy comeback. Using a 13-2 surge that began with Ferguson's 1,000 point at 11:15 to go, UIC was able regain the lead. Ferguson's triple at 8:03 tied the game and Diggins came up with a steal at the other end. He shoveled the ball to Boahen and the guard lobbed the ball to Diggins for another ferocious alley-oop. He did receive a technical foul on the play and GB split two free throws before he missed a foul shot from the dunk.
• FINAL FIGHT: Diggins had two more dunks in a 30-second span, each keeping the Flames within two points. However, with 1:46 to go, Green Bay's Kameron Hankerson made a contested 3-pointer to beat the shot clock that expanded his team's slim lead to five points. Sandy Cohen III added a 3-pointer after a UIC miss to make it an eight-point lead and the Flames were unable to recover.

Highlights



Notable

• Tarkus Ferguson became the 25^th player in UIC history, and the second this season, to reach 1,000 career points. Ferguson's 3-pointer with a defender all over him at the 11:15 mark of the second half put him over the mark and gave him 1,001 career points. Marcus Ottey, the team's active leading scorer, reached the milestone on Dec. 17 against Incarnate Word.
• Ferguson and Ottey join Dikembe Dixson and Tai Odiase to score 1,000 points under UIC head coach Steve McClain.
• Godwin Boahen's career-high 25 points were aided by five 3-pointers. It was the fourth time this season that the junior converted at least five 3-pointers.
• The Flames had four players score in double figures for the ninth time this season and second during Horizon League play.
• Ferguson added a game-high nine rebounds for UIC Saturday. Boahen added a season-high six boards and matched a season high with a game-best five assists.
• After shooting 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from 3-point range in the first half, the Flames shot 18.8 percent (3-of-16) in the second.
• After amassing five turnovers in the first 3:45 of the game, UIC had only five over the final 36:14 of the contest.

With a TOUGH 3-pointer with a defender draped all over him, @Tjloading4 has just hit a milestone! #ItsUIC #HLMBB pic.twitter.com/cRFg3GOcNp

— UIC FL??MES ?? (@UICFlamesMBB) January 19, 2019

Up Next

• The Flames return to Credit Union 1 Arena on Thursday, Jan. 24, when they will host the Detroit Mercy Titans to begin their longest homestand of the season.
• Thursday's game tips off at 7:00 p.m. and will be shown on ESPN+.
• The homestand also features visits from Oakland (Jan. 26), Wright State (Feb. 1) and Northern Kentucky (Feb. 3).