MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Behind career nights from Zion Griffin and Damaria Franklin, the UIC men's basketball team came from behind to defeat Robert Morris, 96-88, in overtime Saturday evening at the UMPC Events Center.
 
Trailing by 10 with 5:04 to play, the Flames outscored Robert Morris 17-7 down the stretch to force the extra period. UIC trailed by two in the final minute, with the Colonials in possession of the ball, before a Jace Carter steal and dunk tied it up at 83 with 18 seconds to play. Robert Morris had a pair of looks at the rim at the buzzer, but the Flames defense held, sending the game to overtime.
 
In the extra period, UIC scored the first seven points and never looked back. Franklin led the way in overtime with six of UIC's 13 points while the UIC defense held Robert Morris to 1-of-7 shooting from the field in the five-minute overtime period.
 
Griffin posted a career highs of 27 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. The Hinsdale South product finished the game 10-for-14 from the field, 7-of-9 from the free throw line, with half of his rebounds coming on the offensive glass.
 
Franklin chipped in a career (and game) high 28 points on 11-for-23 shooting. The graduate of Niles North scored 21 of his 28 points in the second half and overtime periods.
 
The Flames jumped out to an early 12-6 lead in the game behind five points each from Jalen Warren and Filip Skobalj. Robert Morris responded with a run of their own to take a 21-14 lead with just over 11 minutes remaining in the half. Saturday's back-and-forth first half landed the way of the Flames, as Michael Diggins' layup with 47 seconds left in the period gave the Flames a 45-44 lead headed into the halftime break.
 
Robert Morris responded out of the locker room, storming to an 11-point advantage at 63-52 with 12:25 to play. The hosts maintained their lead throughout the second half, but UIC slowly chipped away at the deficit. Back-to-back triples by Franklin and Jamie Ahale evened the score at 81 with 1:07 to play before Robert Morris regained the lead on the next possession, setting the stage for Carter's key steal and dunk to force overtime.
 
UIC returns home to close out the regular season with a pair of home games at Credit Union 1 Arena, beginning Thursday night against Green Bay at 7 p.m. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a Flames wireless charging pad powered by Xfinity. To purchase tickets please call 312-413-UIC1 (8421) or visit Ticketmaster today.
 
News and Notes

• The 96 points scored by the Flames were the most by the program since a 100-95 overtime victory against William & Mary on Nov. 15, 2018.
• UIC owned a 36-33 advantage on the boards, including a 15-10 advantage in offensive rebounds. The 15 offensive boards led to 23 second chance points.
• Griffin became third Flame this year to record a double-double.