Flames fall at hands of Redbirds
Alejandro de Jesus
Issue date: 11/30/09 Section: Sports
Media Credit: UICFlames.comUIC Men's basketball loses to Illinois State, 69-65.
The Flames (1-2) returned home to a near capacity Pavilion to battle in-state rival Illinois State (3-0) to a 69-65 loss on Monday, Nov. 23. The no. 3 team in the state, according to ESPN.com, extended their winning streak against the home Flames to four games, dating back to the 2006-07 campaign.
It was Red Out night at the Pavilion for the Flames, but most of the sea of red that spilled over numerous stadium sections came from local Illinois State fans in town for the holiday furlough. The crowd of 4626 heavily favored the away team, but that didn't stop UIC from getting the game going early in the contest.
Jimmy Collins gave Jeremy Buttell the starting nod, and that investment paid off. The 6-7 Texan's jumper with 9:35 in the first half extended the Flames margin to a game-high nine points. Putting in some heavy minutes, "JB" finished with 15 points on 5-9 shooting.
But Buttell wasn't the only cowboy at this hoedown. Osiris Eldridge, Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Player of the Year and Chicago's Phillips Academy native, scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half, 15 of those coming in the period's final 8:53, at one point going on an 8-0 run by himself.
Despite being footsteps away from the city's skyline, the Flames couldn't ring anything in from downtown; they shot 2-10 in the first half and 4-21 on the game. The lid on the basket from the Central Michigan game followed UIC deep into the second half of Monday's game as their shooting struggles continued.
UIC rallied back in the game after the half, cutting an eight point Redbird lead at the two-minute mark down to a one-possession game. Down 67-59, Buttell's long distance connection and a foul led to an eventual four-point play. Zavion Neely brought the Flames within two calling his own number after failed attempts to work the ball around. Two Dinma Odiakosa free throws put Illinois State up three 39 ticks before the buzzer, and the Flames were down to their last timeout, and last attempt to send this one into overtime. UIC couldn't score their final possession and the Redbirds boarded the bus back to Watterson at an undefeated 3-0.
Zavion Neely led the Flames with 17 points, and Captain Kreps's 15 buckets were overshadowed by a sloppy six turnovers in the outing. Turnovers were the only major disparity in the closely fought contest, as ISU banked 21 points off 14 Flame mishaps.
Although the Flames were ousted this game, Head Coach Jimmy Collins was far from furious with the result.
"I was very happy with the effort that the team gave," said head coach Jimmy Collins about his team's performance after the game. "All coaches will tell you that it's extremely important to get better as you go. We did make some strides tonight in terms of getting better. The effort was certainly there."
The Flames begin conference play this Thursday at 7p.m. facing the Milwaukee Panthers at Milwaukee.
|
It was Red Out night at the Pavilion for the Flames, but most of the sea of red that spilled over numerous stadium sections came from local Illinois State fans in town for the holiday furlough. The crowd of 4626 heavily favored the away team, but that didn't stop UIC from getting the game going early in the contest.
Jimmy Collins gave Jeremy Buttell the starting nod, and that investment paid off. The 6-7 Texan's jumper with 9:35 in the first half extended the Flames margin to a game-high nine points. Putting in some heavy minutes, "JB" finished with 15 points on 5-9 shooting.
But Buttell wasn't the only cowboy at this hoedown. Osiris Eldridge, Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Player of the Year and Chicago's Phillips Academy native, scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half, 15 of those coming in the period's final 8:53, at one point going on an 8-0 run by himself.
Despite being footsteps away from the city's skyline, the Flames couldn't ring anything in from downtown; they shot 2-10 in the first half and 4-21 on the game. The lid on the basket from the Central Michigan game followed UIC deep into the second half of Monday's game as their shooting struggles continued.
UIC rallied back in the game after the half, cutting an eight point Redbird lead at the two-minute mark down to a one-possession game. Down 67-59, Buttell's long distance connection and a foul led to an eventual four-point play. Zavion Neely brought the Flames within two calling his own number after failed attempts to work the ball around. Two Dinma Odiakosa free throws put Illinois State up three 39 ticks before the buzzer, and the Flames were down to their last timeout, and last attempt to send this one into overtime. UIC couldn't score their final possession and the Redbirds boarded the bus back to Watterson at an undefeated 3-0.
Zavion Neely led the Flames with 17 points, and Captain Kreps's 15 buckets were overshadowed by a sloppy six turnovers in the outing. Turnovers were the only major disparity in the closely fought contest, as ISU banked 21 points off 14 Flame mishaps.
Although the Flames were ousted this game, Head Coach Jimmy Collins was far from furious with the result.
"I was very happy with the effort that the team gave," said head coach Jimmy Collins about his team's performance after the game. "All coaches will tell you that it's extremely important to get better as you go. We did make some strides tonight in terms of getting better. The effort was certainly there."
The Flames begin conference play this Thursday at 7p.m. facing the Milwaukee Panthers at Milwaukee.
Be the first to comment on this story