CHICAGO – Michael Diggins became the 27^th member of UIC's 1,000-point club as the Flames overcame a cold first half of shooting to come back and beat IUPUI, 57-54, Monday evening at Credit Union 1 Arena.
 
With 7:30 left in the second half, Diggins brought in an offensive rebound off a missed 3-pointer and got the putback layup to fall, giving the fifth-year Flame exactly 1,000 points in his career.
 

THERE IT IS!

With that bucket, @MikeDiggs15 became the 27th member of the 1,000 point club!

Congrats, Mike!#BringTheHeat | #FireUpFlames pic.twitter.com/YhL1s3W4Ke

— UIC Men's Basketball ???? (@UIC_MBB) February 15, 2022

 
Jace Carter and Damaria Franklin led the way for the Flames with 12 points each while Jalen Warren added 11. Carter and Zion Griffin shared the team-lead with six rebounds and Warren dished out a game-high five assists.
 
The Flames had to overcome a sluggish start, finishing the first half just 6-for-26 (23.1%) from the field. IUPUI was able to take advantage of UIC's errant attack, building a 10-point lead with 6:18 to go in the first half.
 
Despite its slow start, UIC hung around and was able to chip away at the deficit, getting it to a six-point game at the halftime break, with the score 28-22 in favor of IUPUI.
 
The Flames quickly turned things around to open the second half, as 3-pointers by Jamie Ahale and Filip Skobalj suddenly tied the game up at 28 less than two minutes into the final stanza. A bucket by Skobalj with 16:28 left gave UIC its first lead in the contest since owning a 6-5 advantage three minutes into the game.
 
From there on, neither team would lead by more than six points down the stretch. After IUPUI pushed the lead to six, an 8-0 UIC run, capped by Diggins' 1,000^th point, put the Flames back in front by a 43-41 margin.
 
Tied at 51 with 1:46 to go, Ahale was left open from beyond the arc and knocked down the triple, putting UIC in front for good at 54-51. The Jaguars would get within one of UIC, but Warren scored UIC's final three points to seal the victory.
 
UIC makes its final roadtrip of Horizon League play this weekend, beginning Thursday at Youngstown State.
 
News and Notes

• Diggins became the 27^th member of the 1,000-point club and has played with five other 1,000-point scorers during his UIC career: Tarkus Ferguson (1,646), Marcus Ottey (1,579), Godwin Boahen (1,420), Dikembe Dixson (1,250) and Tai Odiase (1,153).
• The Flames improved to an impressive 8-3 in games decided by five points or less, and pick up their first win of the season when scoring less than 60 points.
• Griffin had a game-high four offensive rebounds.
• The Flames won the game despite shooting a season-low 35.3% from the field.