UIC vs. IPFW Recap

Recap

What Happened

UIC lost 67-51 at home against Fort Wayne Saturday afternoon. Despite holding IPFW to 32.3% shooting from the field, UIC (2-2) only shot 26.8% themselves.

Sophomore Marcus Ottey led UIC as the only double-digit scorer with 12 points. Senior Tai Odiase added eight points and ten rebounds.

Several Flames had uncharacteristic off-nights offensively.

Redshirt sophomore Dikembe Dixson was held to nine points on 1-11 shooting in 31 minutes. Redshirt sophomore Dominique Matthews only scored one point, he didn’t make a field goal after scoring 19 points against Delaware State on Thursday night. Tarkus Ferguson scored five points on 2-9 shooting and was limited to 20 minutes because of foul trouble.

Key Sequence

UIC closed the gap to 44-39 with 9:06 left in the game, but IPFW responded with a 12-5 run that sealed the game and left the Mastodons with a 56-44 lead with 4:50 left in the game.

What It Means

The Flames lost to a solid mid-major program that was picked to finish in the top half of the Summit League. But as was the case in the Saint Joseph’s game, this was a winnable game for UIC at home.

What’s Next

UIC takes on NAIA foe Olivet Nazarene on Wednesday evening at the UIC Pavilion.

Notes

-UIC seems to have settled in with the starting lineup of Tarkus Ferguson, Dominique Matthews, Dikembe Dixson, Jordan Blount and Tai Odiase.

-Ottey was the lone bright spot for UIC on the offensive side. He had 12 points and three rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench. Ottey is an excellent finisher despite his diminutive stature, thanks to his electric leaping ability.

-Foul trouble limited Ferguson to five points in 20 minutes. He picked up his fourth foul with 18:50 left in the game. UIC severely missed Ferguson initiating the offense, his absence played a role in their poor shooting performance.

-Freshman Michael Diggins took advantage of the foul trouble Blount endured and earned nine first half minutes. He connected on his first three point attempt, his only shot of the game. Diggins finished with three points and four rebounds in 14 minutes. His defense once again stood out, particularly in the 1-3-1 zone at the top of the defense.