UIC vs. Saint Joseph’s Recap

Recap

What Happened

UIC lost 86-82 in overtime to Saint Joseph’s last night. It was a difficult loss to swallow. The Flames (1-1) held a 73-67 lead with one minute left in regulation, but failed to finish off the visiting Atlantic 10 foe. Redshirt sophomore Dikembe Dixson scored a team-high 23 points. Sophomore Marcus Ottey added 17 points off the bench, sophomore Tarkus Ferguson chipped in 15 points and senior big man Tai Odiase contributed ten points.

UIC’s struggles at the free throw line, 13-22 for the game, were a key factor in the loss. In the second half alone, the Flames shot 7-12 from the free throw line.

A positive for UIC was the production of their bench, especially with foul issues limiting a starter. Thrust into more minutes because Odiase was in foul trouble, senior Clint Robinson stepped up in extended playing time: six points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes.

Key Sequence

After Robinson missed a one-and-one free throw with 1:01 left in regulation while UIC held a 73-67 lead, Saint Joseph’s guard and Chicago-native Nick Robinson dunked with ease to cut the lead to 73-69 with 54 seconds left. Saint Joseph’s then took a 30 second timeout. Dixson turned the ball over on the ensuing inbounds pass, which led to a layup by James Demery. That brought the game to 73-71 with 50 seconds left. Ottey was then fouled with 40 seconds left, but he split the free throw attempts to give UIC a 74-71 lead. UIC called a 30 second timeout to regroup, only to have Taylor Funk make a critical 3-pointer to tie the game at 74-74 with 26 seconds left. UIC held for the last shot, as Ottey missed a tightly contested 3-pointer as the clock ran to zero.

What It Means

UIC had an opportunity to defeat an Atlantic 10 team on its home court but failed to seal the deal. This was a winnable game, the missed free throws will haunt UIC. How the Flames respond going forward in tight game situations will dictate their success once Horizon League play commences.

What’s Next

Delaware State makes its way to the UIC Pavilion on Thursday night. The Hornets are 1-1 so far, they lost to DePaul last night at Wintrust Arena. Delaware State will face IPFW tomorrow night, then head back to Chicago to take on UIC.

Notes

-UIC went changed up the opening night starting lineup, opting to go with Tarkus Ferguson, Godwin Boahen, Dikembe Dixson, Jordan Blount and Tai Odiase in game two. The reserves combined to score 27 points, thanks in large part to Ottey’s 17 points.

-Dixson made a career-high five 3-pointers. It was an impressive performance as he connected on catch-and-shoot opportunities as well as pull-up three’s. The only negative showing was the four turnovers he committed.

-Robinson continued to showcase his prowess on the boards, corralling eight rebounds in 21 minutes. Three of those rebounds came on the offensive end. He shot 71% from the free throw line a year ago, but only managed to make 2-5 free throws yesterday. That really hurt UIC considering he had the second most free throw attempts for the Flames.

-Sophomore Jordan Blount went scoreless in 19 minutes. He only attempted two shots and didn’t attempt a free throw. Blount did contribute in other ways, totaling an impressive four blocks as well as three assists. He logged 14 first half minutes, but only 5 second half minutes. Head coach Steve McClain cited Saint Joseph’s exploiting Blount defensively, which compelled him to move Dixson to the four spot and go with a three-guard lineup.

-Ferguson was steady with an all-around stat line: 15 points, seven assists and five rebounds, one steal and one block. The most important stat? Only one turnover in 37 minutes. He was patient on offense, made the right reads and made good decisions.

-Ottey was electric in the open court on fast break opportunities. He is a very athletic guard, especially vertically. Ottey did struggle with his perimeter shot, going 1-5 from three and 2-5 from the free throw line. Once he is more consistent with outside shot, he’ll be very difficult to defend.