A red-hot Canisius team overwhelmed UIC Tuesday night, 94-64, at Credit Union 1 Arena.

Tarkus Ferguson led the Flames with 17 points.  UIC held the MAAC's leading scorer, Malik Johnson, without a point, but Jalanni White and Majesty Brandon combined for 41 points off the bench.

The Golden Griffins were over 60% from the field with five minutes to play and finished with identical marks of 56% overall and from three-point range.  The game marked the end of the on-campus rounds of the Boca Raton Beach Classic.

Following two games in Florida, UIC will return home to host Purdue Fort Wayne December 7.

First Half Highlights

• Braelen Bridges and Tarkus Ferguson connected for early UIC offense.  On the game's first possession, Bridges drove down the lane and dunked off a feed from Ferguson.  Shortly thereafter, Bridges found Ferguson on an identical set that led to free throw opportunities.
• The Flames had periods of good passing and created good shots, but they suffered through an 0-for-5 drought over a five minute span.  Meanwhile, Canisius' passing paid off as the Golden Griffins assisted on 15 of their first 17 field goals.
• Jacob Wiley ended UIC's drought with a layup.  Later, Deon Ejim threw down a dunk with an and-one, and blocked a Canisius layup on the next trip down court.  However, self-inflicted miscues including travels and errant passes allowed Canisius to build their lead.
• Michael Diggins elevated to block a shot and grabbed a steal to ignite a fast break.  He continued to bring the defense with another steal late in the half.

Second Half Highlights

• Jamie Ahale found Ferguson for a reverse layup to get things started.  UIC's energy out of the break continued when Godwin Boahen drew a charge and Ferguson drove the lane with determination.
• When Diggins punctuated a runout with a slam dunk, it was a 7-0 UIC run and Canisius called timeout.  The stoppage turned the tides, as the visitors answered with a 12-1 run of their own.
• Diggins was at the heart of UIC's best late stretch of offense.  He scored six straight for the Flames during a 9-3 run.  Travell Washington contributed consecutive three-pointers from the corner in the final minute.

Facts and Figures

• Jamie Ahale made his fourth start, but first in the last four games, and was part of the fourth different starting five used by Steve McClain this season.
• Ahale made a corner three in the second half, extending his streak of connecting from downtown at least once in every game of the season.
• Diggins finished with 11 points, making it four straight games in double digits.
• Washington blew past his season high, finishing with 11 points.
• Boahen's perfect run at the free throw line ended when he missed his first charity shot of the contest.  He had made his first 15 attempts to start the season.
• Canisius led by as many as 38 points.  That was UIC's largest deficit since the Memphis game November 8.  The Golden Griffins surpassed Memphis for the most points scored against UIC this season.
• The Flames made just one of their first 17 3-point attempts.
• UIC got to the free throw line a season high 39 times.  They made just 22 of those shots.  It was the most attempts in a game since they were sent to the stripe 42 times against Trinity Christian on November 19, 2016.

Up Next

• The Flames will head to Florida for the remainder of the Boca Raton Beach Classic.
• A game against Florida Atlantic Sunday and a contest against a to-be-determined opponent Monday are on tap in the Sunshine State.