INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Behind five Flames in double figures, including a near triple-double by Tarkus Ferguson, the UIC men's basketball defeated IUPUI 75-66 Saturday (Jan. 18) to secure its second consecutive win and first road win of the year.
 
Ferguson fell one rebound and assist shy of his second-career triple-double, finishing with 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, all team highs. The senior facilitated UIC's offense flawlessly, committing zero turnovers in over 31 minutes of action. After being held scoreless in the first half, Ferguson scored all 16 of his points in the second half on 6-of-11 shooting while playing all 20 minutes.
 
Four other Flames scored 10 or more points, the second consecutive game that UIC has had five players in double figures. Ferguson was joined by Jordan Blount (14) and Marcus Ottey (13) while Godwin Boahen and Jamie Ahale added 10 points each.
 
The Flames improved to 6-2 when outrebounding their opponent, owning a 41-37 advantage on the glass. UIC also played selfless basketball assisting on 20 of its 29 made field goals.
 
UIC continues its season-long five-game roadtrip next weekend, with contests at Oakland (Jan. 23) and Detroit Mercy (Jan. 25).
 
First Half Notes

• It was a game of runs early, as both teams went on 7-0 runs to open the game. IUPUI struck first, scoring the first seven points over a 2:58 span. Ottey's jumper ended the run and kick-started seven unanswered points in less than a minute for the Flames.
• With UIC leading 19-16 with 7:27 remaining in the opening half, UIC used a 14-2 run to build its biggest lead of the game at 33-18. Blount spearheaded the attack, scoring six points during the stretch. The senior ended the first half with 10 point while going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field.
• Ottey's jumper with seven seconds left capped the first-half scoring. It gave the senior a game-high 11 points in the opening half.
• UIC controlled the glass, outrebounding IUPUI by a 22-15 margin in the first half. All nine Flames who checked in during the first half, led by Braelen Bridges' four.
• The Flames' defense was on full display in the first half, limiting the Jaguars to just 32% shooting from the field and 1-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc.

 
Second Half Notes

• Ferguson opened the second-half scoring with a 3-poiner. It proved to be just the start for Ferguson in the second half, as the senior would score all 16 of his points in the final frame.
• UIC used an 8-0 run in less than a minute to build it's largest lead of the day of 19 at 64-45. Ferguson knocked down a triple to start the run before finding Boahen on the fast break for a 3-pointer. Ferguson capped the run by throwing up a lob to Ottey, who threw down the alley-oop.
• The Flames held IUPUI within striking distance for the entire second half. After taking a 12-point lead into the break, UIC led by double figures for the entire second half until the Jaguars trimmed it to nine with 4:15 to play. IUPUI would get within eight in the closing minutes but every threat was answered by UIC.
• After five Flames scored in the first half, eight of the nine Flames who played in the second half scored at least two points.

 
Facts and Figures

• Saturday was the second consecutive game in which five Flames scored 10 or more points and was the second consecutive game against IUPUI accomplishing the feat, doing so in a 76-75 road win on Feb. 9, 2019.
• UIC improved to 6-2 when outrebounding their opponents. The Flames have outrebounded their opponent in three-straight games, going 2-1 in that stretch.
• The Flames limited IUPUI to just 33.3% shooting, the second-lowest shooting percentage by an opponent this season. UIC held Milwaukee to 31.7% back on Jan. 5.
• All nine players who appeared in Saturday's game recorded at least one rebound.
• UIC swatted away seven shots, the second-most this year. Bridges and Ahale blocked two shots each, with Ahale setting a new career high with the mark.