UIC vs IUPUI Recap

What Happened
UIC rallied back in the second half to defeat IUPUI 71-62 at the UIC Pavilion on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Jordan Blount paved the way for UIC (11-11, 6-3) despite only scoring seven points. He caused three straight turnovers late in the game to give UIC the lead for good. Blount left his mark with 14 rebounds, seven assists and five steals in an all-around effort that led to UIC’s victory.

Sophomore Marcus Ottey led the Flames with 18 points, 13 of which came in the second half. Redshirt sophomore Dikembe Dixson added 15 points and senior Tai Odiase contributed 11 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.

Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, as IUPUI led 32-27 after 20 minutes. UIC only shot 33.3% from the field, with Dixson leading the way with nine points. Odiase added a strong interior presence with five points, five rebounds and two blocks.

IUPUI only shot 36.7% from the field in the first half, but made 4-of-9 three’s to separate themselves from UIC. Ron Patterson scored nine points and shot 3-of-4 from three.

With the Flames down 32-27 at the half, the defense sparked the comeback victory. IUPUI only shot 29.2% in the second half, while UIC shot 60% from the field. This led to the Flames outscoring IUPUI 44-30 in the second half.

Reserves Godwin Boahen and Clint Robinson were the catalysts for the second-half comeback, combining to score 13 consecutive points for the Flames during a 13-7 run that allowed them to reclaim the lead 49-48 with 8:17 left in the game.

Key Sequence
Blount turned defense to offense three consecutive times to give UIC the lead for good late in the game. He stole the ball from Aaron Brennan with 7:09 left, then proceeded to start the fast break and connect with Odiase for an alley-oop. Blount stole the ball from Brennan again on the next possession, which led to two free throw’s from Ottey to give UIC a 54-50 lead with 6:29 left. He put the icing on the cake with a third consecutive steal, and he converted on the other end with an emphatic dunk to give UIC a 56-50 lead with 6:19 left in the game. UIC never relinquished the lead and went on to win.

What It Means
UIC has won 6 of its last 7 games to improve 6-3 in the Horizon League and retain 4th place.

What’s Next
The Flames head on a pivotal three-game road trip that starts on Monday at Milwaukee. Although UIC routed Milwaukee 88-73 earlier this month at home, the Panthers have won three straight including a win over first-place Wright State.

Notes
-Robinson returned after a one-game absence to score seven crucial points off the bench. He was effective on both ends of the floor, also blocking three shots. Robinson appears to be healthy, which is good news moving forward for UIC.