ASHWAUBENON, Wis. – Playing on the road for the third time in six-day span, the UIC Flames fell short in their Horizon League Championship quarterfinal at Green Bay Tuesday night, 82-77.
 
The Flames (16-16, 10-8 Horizon League) held the largest lead of the game at seven points, but the Phoenix (17-15, 10-8 Horizon League) closed the game on a 13-3 run over the final 3:54 to advance to semifinals in Detroit.
 
Second Team All-Horizon League selection Tarkus Ferguson scored a game-high 22 points to lead UIC to go along with seven rebounds and a game-high six assists. He made six 3-pointers in the game as he set UIC's single-season record with 100 on the year.
 
First-Half Headlines

• FIRST PUNCH: The Flames went on the first significant run of the ballgame, a 10-0 spurt over 2:53 that put the visitors ahead, 25-18. Jamie Ahale started the run with the first of two first-half 3-pointers. Jordan Blount also scored inside during the run and Jacob Wiley converted a tip-in layup off the baseline with 6:59 to go in the half that prompted Green Bay to use a timeout.
• COUNTERATTACK: Green Bay used an 11-2 run to grab a two-point lead with 3:57 remaining in the period. UIC's Michael Diggins put down a two-handed dunk that evened the ledger at 29-29 with 3:10 to go before Godwin Boahen made an off-balance jumper that gave the Flames the lead again.
• LAST PUSH: The Phoenix scored the last four points of the half to take a 35-34 lead into the locker room after 20 minutes. Sandy Cohen III scored with less than five seconds to go in the period and Boahen's heave from three-quarter's court drew iron. It was the first time in three meetings this season that Green Bay led UIC at the half.

Second-Half Headlines

• FLAMES IN FRONT: Green Bay scored the first basket of the second half, but UIC countered with a 9-2 run to grab a 43-39 lead with only 3:15 gone by in the period. Rob Howard contributed a couple of big buckets inside, while Boahen added the other five points in the run.
• MAINTAINING MOMENTUM: Each time that the Phoenix looked to regain the lead, the Flames had a response. Cohen III made it a one-point game with a layup with 10:01 to go, but Ferguson came down on the next possession and drilled a long 3-pointer. Late, Green Bay was down a bucket with under six minutes to play, but Ferguson made a pair of clutch free throws and Marcus Ottey scored, drew a foul and converted the 3-point play to give UIC a 71-66 lead with 5:28 to go.
• CLOSING KICK SINKS UIC: Boahen made a 3-pointer with 4:13 remaining that kept the lead at five points. UIC would go almost four minutes without scoring until Ferguson made a 3-pointer with 16.3 seconds to go that stopped a 9-0 run for the home team and pulled the Flames within a point, down 78-77.
• FRANTIC FINISH: It was a one-possession game with about 15 seconds to go and UIC had the ball. Godwin Boahen was knocked down in front of the UIC bench and a scramble for the ball resulted in the Phoenix getting the ball back with 6.4 seconds left. The original ball kept the ball for the Flames, but officials reviewed the play and reversed the call. JayQuan McCloud made two free throws with under six seconds to go to seal the victory and send his team to Detroit for the semifinal.

Highlights



Notable

• Tarkus Ferguson set the UIC single-season record for 3-pointers on the first possession of the game. It was his 95^th triple of the season as he passed Josh Mayo who made 94 during the 2007-08 campaign.
• Ferguson finished with six 3-pointers to give himself 100 on the year. It was the third time he made at least six in a game this season and the first since Jan. 12 vs. Cleveland State.
• The Belleville, Ill., native scored a game-high 22 points. It was his second consecutive game posting at least 20 points, and the eighth time he did it this season. He also tied for game-high honors with seven rebounds and led all players with six assists.
• Ferguson played at least 40 minutes for the sixth time this season and the second time in a six-day span. He also played the entire game at Oakland on Feb. 28. Jamie Ahale played a career-high 27 minutes in the game.
• The Flames made at least 12 3-pointers for the ninth time this season. Tuesday was the first time that UIC hit that mark since its last trip to the Resch Center on Jan. 19.
• UIC had 19 points off the bench Tuesday. Ahale made three 3-pointers to contribute nine points, while Jacob Wiley matched a career high for the third consecutive game with four field goals as he scored eight points to go along with six rebounds.
• Green Bay shot 25 free throws Tuesday, making 19 (76 percent). The Flames were awarded only six free throws, and made five.
• UIC turned the ball over 13 times, less than its season average (14.3). Green Bay made the Flames pay, however, scoring 21 points off the miscues. The Phoenix turned the ball over 12 times, but UIC scored only 10 points off the errors.
• Both teams shot north of 50 percent in the second half. The Flames converted at a clip of 51.6 percent (16-of-31), while Green Bay made 55.6 percent of its shots (15-of-27).
• In all three meetings between UIC and Green Bay this season, the Flames owned the largest lead of the game. The Flames led by as many as 10 on Jan. 19, 19 on Feb. 22 and seven on Tuesday. Green Bay's largest lead in this game was five points.