INDIANAPOLIS – Five UIC Flames scored in double figures Saturday and the visiting team got a significant stop when it was most needed to knock off the IUPUI Jaguars, 76-75.

Marcus Ottey netted 13 points to pace the Flames (13-12, 7-5 Horizon League) and his biggest basket came on a layup off a turnover with 26.3 seconds remaining that proved to be the game-winning field goal as it put UIC in front, 76-75.

The Flames led by as 18 points, and 14 points at the break, before securing their second road win in conference play. In addition to Ottey's offense, Tarkus Ferguson and Michael Diggins each had 12 points and Rob Howard and Jamie Ahale chipped in with 11 each. Godwin Boahen nearly joined the group with nine.

First-Half Headlines

• WAY DOWNTOWN: UIC was behind a point 13-12 with 12:35 left in the first half when Ferguson began to heat up. The guard knocked down long 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions to go on a personal 9-0 run and help the Flams build a 21-13 lead just 58 seconds later.  
• STRETCHING THE DEFENSE: Forward Rob Howard did his part to stretch the IUPUI defense in the first half. Playing in his home state, the Gary, Ind., native drilled two 3-pointers from the top of the key in the first half. Those buckets helped UIC gain a three-point lead at 10-7 and later a 12-point lead at 29-17 with 8:40 remaining in the period.
• SWEET SIXTEEN: The Flames pushed the lead to a half-best 16 points with just under seven minutes to go. Godwin Boahen made a 3-pointer and after Howard blocked a shot at one end, he hustled down and got a layup in transition, drawing a foul and making the free throw to make it 35-19.
• CLOSING KICK: IUPUI was within nine points with 3:16 left in the period, but UIC outscored the home team, 10-5 down the stretch to build a 50-36 lead at the break. Jamie Ahale had six of the 10 points with two 3-pointers, while Michael Diggins put the Jaguars on a poster with a one-handed tip dunk off a rare missed 3-pointer with 1:26 to go.

Second-Half Headlines

• PRESSURE PROPELS IUPUI: After being limited to four turnovers in the first half, UIC was hampered early in the second. Eight turnovers over the first nine minutes or so helped bring the Jaguar deficit to 11 points with 10:31 to go.
• JAGS ROAR: UIC used full-court pressure to continue to pester the Flames. When Jaylen Minnett sank a 3-pointer with 9:03 to go, it made it a one-possession game with the Flames in front, 64-61. Minnett fouled Ottey at the other end, however, and the UIC guard made both ends of a 1-and-1, igniting a 6-0 run that brought the lead back to nine with 7:40 remaining.
• FLAMES FIND A WAY: UIC's advantage was back to 10 points at 72-62 80 seconds later. Over the next five minutes, IUPUI unleashed a 13-2 run that put the home team ahead with 1:20 left. After misses on both ends, Camron Justice had the ball stolen by Ferguson. The rock ended up in Ottey's hands and he poured in a bucket with 26.3 to go. Ferguson then came up with a block on D.J. McCall, but the Jags ended up with the ball following a scramble. IUPUI had one final chance with 3.3 seconds left when Ahmed Ismail threw up a baseline shot that drew iron and ended up in Ottey's hands.

Highlights



Postgame Reaction



Notable

• After surrendering a season-high 30 points to Camron Justice in the first meeting on Jan. 4, UIC held the conference's second-leading scorer to six points Saturday and none in the second half.
• IUPUI shot 39.7 percent from the floor, marking the sixth time in Horizon League play that the Flames have held the opposition below 40 percent.
• The Flames shot 50 percent as a team Saturday and 59.4 percent in the first half. It was the second time shooting at least 50 percent in 12 Horizon League games and the eighth time in 25 games this season.
• Marcus Ottey scored a team-high 13 points. It was the 11^th time this season leading the Flames in scoring, most on the team.
• Rob Howard led UIC with 11 first-half points, it was his highest output since scoring 11 in the entire game against Detroit Mercy on Jan. 24.
• Jamie Ahale reached double digits for the second time this season. On Saturday he made three 3-pointers and his first two-point field goal since UIC's season opener at Notre Dame (Nov. 6).
• Michael Diggins matched a career high with seven rebounds to lead UIC at IUPUI.
• Tarkus Ferguson matched a season high with three steals Saturday.
• UIC scored at least 50 first-half points for the second time this season. The Flames poured in 54 points over the first 20 minutes in a victory over Illinois State at Credit Union 1 Arena on Dec. 5.
• The Flames are 6-1 all-time against IUPUI and 3-1 against the Jaguars since they joined the Horizon League in 2017. The two games during this regular season were decided by a combined three points.
• UIC is 5-3 in games decided by five points or less this season and 3-2 in conference games.

Up Next

• The Flames continue a three-game road trip with a spin through northeast Ohio, where UIC will battle Cleveland State (Feb. 14) and Youngstown State (Feb. 16).
• The Flames have two-game winning streaks at both CSU's Wolstein Center and YSU's Beeghly Center.
• UIC topped Cleveland State at Credit Union 1 Arena on Jan. 12, 73-56. The Flames matched a program record with 17 3-pointers that afternoon.