CLEVELAND – Kevin Johnson hit the game-winning shot with 1.8 seconds remaining Thursday evening as the UIC men's basketball team upset league-leading Cleveland State by a 76-75 margin on the road.
The Flames, who trailed from the opening tip against the Vikings, took their first lead of the game at 74-74 with 1:07 remaining on
Michael Diggins' layup. Cleveland State evened the score at 74 with 50 seconds left and went to the line with 24 seconds remaining in the contest. After making the first free throw to take a 75-74 lead, the second attempt was off the mark and brought down by Diggins.
Coming out of a UIC timeout with 12 seconds left, Johnson, who celebrated his 23
rd birthday Thursday, pulled up from the free throw line and got the game-winning shot to fall. Cleveland State's half-court desperation attempt fell short at the buzzer, giving the Flames the one-point win over the league leaders.
Johnson was one of four Flames in double figures Thursday evening.
Damaria Franklin led the Flames with 19 points while Johnson followed closely behind with 16.
Jace Carter matched Johnson with 16 points and
Jamie Ahale connected on a trio of 3-pointers to contribute to his 11-point effort. Diggins, controlled the glass with a team-high 10 rebounds, including five of UIC's nine offensive rebounds.
The Vikings started fast and jumped out to a 16-2 lead over the first 3:49 of the contest. The Vikings would lead by as many as 15 in the first half, but UIC was able to trim the deficit to 11 at the break after
Jalen Warren connected on a pair of free throws with eight seconds left in the opening frame.
Cleveland State's lead ranged between seven and 11 points through the opening 11:39 of the second half before UIC used a quick 5-0 run to trim the deficit to four at 62-58 with 7:24 to play. Franklin opened the run with a triple before Carter went 2-for-2 from the line. The Flames continued to battle back, with another Franklin triple with 2:28 left drawing the Flames level at 70-all, the first time tie score since the opening tip.
The Vikings quickly regained the lead at 72-70 on the next possession before baskets by Johnson and Diggins gave UIC their first lead of the game in the closing minutes, setting up Thursday's dramatic finish.
UIC wraps up its road trip on Saturday, Feb. 12 at Purdue Fort Wayne. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. (CT).
News and Notes
- Franklin, who scored in double figures for the 11th consecutive game, added eight rebounds and five assists.
- The Flames excelled at defending the glass, swatting away six shots Thursday. Diggins led the way with a game-high three blocks.
- After shooting just 33.3% from the field in the first half, UIC exploded for a 55.2% shooting effort over the final 20 minutes.
- UIC led for 19 seconds in Thursday's contest.
