INDIANAPOLIS -- Tarkus Ferguson led three Flames in double digits, and UIC's stifling defense never let Wright State get organized in a 73-56 win Monday night in Indianapolis.  The Flames advance to the Horizon League championship game for the first time since they last won the title in 2004.

Ferguson scored a season-high 25 points to pace the Flames.  Marcus Ottey had 13, and Braelen Bridges contributed 10.  Godwin Boahen nearly had a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.

The Flames never trailed, and led the Raiders by as many as 27 points.  Every player who saw action had at least two rebounds, and all but one scored.  An all-around defensive effort held Wright State to their lowest scoring and shooting output of the season.

After taking down the top seed, UIC will play in the title game Tuesday night against No. 2 Northern Kentucky.

First Half Highlights

• The Flames were the more aggressive team from the opening tip.  Godwin Boahen stripped the ball out of a Raider's grasp and went coast to coast for a layup.  Moments later, Michael Diggins made a jumper to cap an 11-0 run.
• After Braelen Bridges converted a nice putback at the rim and earned the and-one, Marcus Ottey got involved on both ends of the court.  He blocked Tanner Holden at the rim, and later swished a three following an offensive rebound.
• Tarkus Ferguson made one of his three 3-pointers from near the Garfield logo on the Indiana Farmers Coliseum court.  When his transition layup made it 34-21, the Flames had their largest lead of the half.  The advantage ballooned to 15 at the break, aided in no small part by the Flames' defense.  They held Wright State without a field goal for 8:16, until the final 90 seconds of the half.

Second Half Highlights

• UIC committed five fouls in the first 3:03, and put WSU in the bonus for the final 13:14.  Playing with the lead, the Flames could afford to dial down the aggression just enough to only put the Raiders on the free throw line nine times the rest of the half.
• Ferguson figured in a pivotal stretch.  He converted an easy layup off a sweet, top of the key pass by Deon Ejim, and then made two free throws after a flagrant foul.
• The Raiders tried to shoot their way back into the game from three-point distance.  They made only three of their 16 attempts in the half.  One miss was a block by Diggins, who showed off two spin moves in the paint and had another block that led to a Boahen layup.
• Jamie Ahale grabbed an offensive rebound, and Ottey made a layup to drive in the final nail.

 Facts and Figures

• UIC's tournament block party continued.  They rejected six Wright State shots, after blocking eight and six in the first two games.
• UIC's league-best defense got the best of Wright State's top-rated offense.  The Raiders made a season-low 28.3 percent of their shots – well below their average of 46.2 percent.
• Ferguson moved past Greg Olsen into sixth place on UIC's all-time scoring list.  His 25 points matched the high by any Flame this season.
• The Flames had a big edge in rebounding, 47-33.  They were just two short of their season high.
• UIC outscored Wright State in the paint, 38-20, and had a 13-9 edge off turnovers despite coughing up the ball six more times (16-10) than the Raiders.
• UIC pulled off its first Horizon League tournament upset (by seed) since taking down Green Bay in a 3-6 matchup in 2017.
• The game was UIC's first contest against the #1 seed since 2008, a semifinal loss to Butler.  It was their first win over #1 since the 2004 championship game.
• The Flames improved to 4-0 all-time at Indiana Farmers Coliseum with all three victories coming since 2018.
• UIC has won at least three games at the conference tournament for the first time since 2002. That year the Flames downed Milwaukee, Detroit Mercy and Loyola to earn an NCAA Tournament bid.
• The Flames improved to 3-3 in the conference tournament against Wright State. UIC has won two of the last three meetings since 2015.

Up Next

• The Flames will play for their third Horizon League championship Tuesday night.
• They will face No. 2 Northern Kentucky for the title. The Flames and Norse split their two regular season meetings with each squad winning on the road. UIC won the last meeting, 73-43, at BB&T Arena on Feb. 16.
• The game will start at 6 p.m., and can be seen on ESPN.