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Michael Diggins

Flames March On Against YSU, 67-61

UIC advances to face No. 1 Wright State in Horizon League Championship semifinal Monday

3/5/2020 8:59:00 PM

Box Score CHICAGO -- Fourth-seeded UIC won its second game of the week by knocking off No. 5 Youngstown State at Gentile Arena, 67-61, in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Basketball Championship. The Flames advance to tangle with top-seeded Wright State in the semifinals on Monday, March 9 at Indiana Farmer's Coliseum in Indianapolis.
 
Michael Diggins paced the Flames with 17 points, while Tarkus Ferguson hauled in a career-high 13 rebounds for the home team. UIC was aided by 18 second-chance points on the strength of 18 offensive rebounds.
 
First Half Highlights
  • Marcus Ottey opened Thursday's scoring with a jumper before the Penguins countered with a triple on the opposite end.
  • The defenses were on full display in the opening half, as neither team led by more than three points in the first 13 minutes of the game. A pair of Jordan Blount free throws with 6:05 left in the half were in the middle of a 7-0 Flames run which pushed the advantage to seven at 25-18.
  • Youngstown State trimmed the Flames lead back down to three before UIC finished the half by scoring the final six points to take a 33-24 lead into the intermission. The run was highlighted by a Diggins alley-oop off the Godwin Boahen assist.
  • The bucket gave Diggins a team-high 10 points in the opening half while Ferguson hauled in nine rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
 
Second Half Highlights
  • Ottey's layup to open the second half pushed UIC's lead to 11, the first double-digit lead of the game for either team. The Flames' lead was not safe, as the Penguins promptly went on a 13-5 run to pull within three at 40-37.
  • While UIC struggled to shoot the ball in the second half, the Flames maintained their advantage thanks to the offensive glass. UIC outrebounded Youngstown State, 24-17, in the second half, with 13 of UIC's 24 rebounds coming on the offensive glass. In one possession alone, the Flames had four consecutive offensive rebounds, helping burn off over a minute of action.
  • The Penguins got within four of the Flames with 2:24 to play, but UIC iced the game from the free throw line, going 6-for-7 from the charity stripe in the final 33 seconds of action.
 
News and Notes
  • This marks the first semifinal appearance for UIC in the Horizon League Basketball Championship since 2017.
  • Diggins was joined in double figures by Ottey, who added 10 points.
  • The 13 rebounds for Ferguson marked a new career high. Twelve of the 13 boards came on the defensive end while the guard also added four assists, a steal and a block.
  • Braelen Bridges swatted away a game-high three shots while scoring eight points and bringing in seven rebounds.
  • UIC improved to 15-4 on the year when outrebounding its opponent, finishing +13 on the glass (49-36).
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