DETROIT, Mich. -- A baseline jumper by Detroit Mercy's Alonde LeGrand with 0.4 seconds remaining proved to be the difference in a heartbreaking 70-69 loss for the UIC men's basketball team Saturday (Jan. 25) afternoon in Detroit.

The Flames, who trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half, used a key 22-0 second-half run to storm back and take the 52-42 lead with 11:20 to play. Braelen Bridges scored six of his game-high, and career-high, 18 points during the run while Detroit native Brian Taylor came off the bench to add five points in his homecoming game.
 
The game would be tightly contested down the stretch, with the Flames maintaining its lead until the Titans hit the game-winner. The defeat snapped UIC's three-game winning streak.
 
Bridges nearly recorded his third double-double of the year, adding nine rebounds, three assists and one steal to go along with his 18 points. Godwin Boahen came off the bench to score 12 while Marcus Ottey added 11 points.
 
UIC wraps up its season-long five-game roadtrip next weekend with contests at Youngstown State (Jan. 30) and Cleveland State (Feb. 1).
 
First Half Highlights

• Bridges got to work early, scoring UIC's first four points. Ottey found the big man wide open in the pain on the opening possession and scored again in the post to give UIC the early 4-3 lead. That was the last time the Flames led in the first half.
• Detroit Mercy took advantage of the free throw line to use build a 16-point lead late in the first half thanks to a 7-0 run. Five of the Titans' seven points during the spurt came from the charity stripe.
• The Flames countered right back, ending the half with their own 7-0 run to trim the halftime deficit to nine at 36-27. Deon Ejim got a jumper to fall in the paint before Boahen scored the final five with a triple and a buzzer-beating layup.

 Second Half Highlights

• Detroit Mercy held a 42-30 lead with 17:52 remaining in the second half when UIC began to push back. The Flames proceeded to use the next six minutes to go on a 22-0 run and take its first lead of the game since its early 4-3 lead at 52-42. During the run, the Flames were 8-for-11 from the field, including 3-of-5 from the 3-point line.
• The advantage would grow to as big as 11 after Ottey connected on back-to-back triples, giving the Flames the 61-50 edge with 7:45 to play. Nine of Ottey's 11 points came in the second half on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting, with all three shots coming from beyond the arc.
• Bridges picked up an offensive board and laid it back in with 1:06 remaining, giving the Flames a slim 69-65 lead. Detroit Mercy countered with the final five points, including the game-winner with 0.4 seconds remaining, to stun UIC in the closing seconds.

 Facts and Figures

• Saturday was UIC's third loss of the year on a shot with less than a second remaining. UIC dropped a 71-70 decision to Florida Atlantic after an Owl free throw with 0.4 seconds left and also fell to Milwaukee, 64-62, on a Panther buzzer-beater.
• UIC controlled the glass, outrebounding Detroit Mercy by a 34-28 margin. The Flames have outrebounded their opponents in each of the last five games and are now 6-3 when winning the rebounding battle.
• Tarkus Ferguson extended his streak of games with at least one block to 10 consecutive games. As a team, the Flames swatted away six shots Saturday.
• With his 12 points, Boahen moved into 14^th place on UIC's all-time scoring list with 1,297. With three more points, Boahen will become the third active Flame to have scored at least 1,300 career points, joining Ferguson (1,451) and Ottey (1,417).