GREEN BAY, Wis. – The UIC men's basketball dropped its first road conference game of the season, an 85-71 decision to Green Bay Friday (Dec. 3) evening inside the Resch Center.
 
Tarkus Ferguson scored a team-high 19 points and was joined in double figures by Marcus Ottey (17) and Jordan Blount (10). For Blount, it was his first game scoring 10 or more points in just his fifth game back from injury.
 
Despite outshooting Green Bay, 46.7% to 42.2%, the Flames were unable to pick up the road victory thanks largely to the free throw line. As a team, the Phoenix were 23-for-26 from the charity stripe while UIC struggled from the line, finishing 9-for-18.
 
The Flames continue their Wisconsin roadtrip with a Sunday (Dec. 5) matinee at Milwaukee. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m.
 
FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS

• Green Bay struck first, scoring the game's first 10 points just over three minutes into the game. A triple by Michael Diggins ended the Flames' scoring drought and kick-started a 9-2 run over the next 4:18 to pull within three at 12-9.
• UIC gained its first lead of the day in the middle of a 10-0 run. After Brian Taylor and Braelen Bridges opened the run, back-to-back layups by Jordan Blount gave the Flames the 23-21 advantage. A Tarkus Ferguson jumper gave the Flames a four-point lead, forcing a Phoenix timeout.
• UIC evenly distributed the ball, with eight different players scoring in the opening half. Ferguson led the way with eight, followed by Blount's six.

 
SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHTS

• It was a back-and-forth affair over the final 20 minutes as neither team put together a scoring run of more than five points until Green Bay did so with less than five minutes remaining.
• Ottey scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half, going 5-for-7 from the field and 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. Ferguson also had a double-digit half, finishing the second frame with 11 points.
• The Flames kept the game within single digits until the late 5-0 run by the Phoenix pushed the lead to 10 with 3:47 remaining. Blount answered with a bucket to get it back within eight but it was the closest the Flames would get down the stretch.

 
FACTS AND FIGURES

• Ferguson had his team-leading 10^th game in double figures Friday night while Ottey picked up his fifth and Blount his first.
• The Flames controlled the paint, owning a 42-24 advantage in paint points.
• Every player who appeared in Friday's game for UIC recorded at least one rebound while all but one player scored at least two points.