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Bitter end to Flames’ season
RAMBLERS GET LAST LAUGH IN OT
(3/5/05)
MILWAUKEE—While it was the final college game for UIC superstar and all-time scoring leader Cedrick Banks, Friday’s second-round Horizon League tournament contest between UIC and Loyola featured the coming out party for a different player.
Schilb (pictured) was 12-of-18 from the field and 13-of-14 from the free-throw line. He scored nine of Loyola’s 15 overtime points to cap off the victory over the defending Horizon League tournament champions.
“I caught the hot hand,” Schilb said. “My teammates did a great job of getting me the ball in positions where I can score, and I knocked down the shots.”
The old guard – Banks – ended his Flames’ career with a team-high 22 points on 7-of-29 shooting. He had to earn every point, because the Ramblers’ defense, especially lanky sophomore guard Majak Kou, made him work for his shots.
“I had the looks,” Banks said. “but my shots weren’t falling.”
Loyola coach Jim Whitesell was complimentary of Banks’ tireless effort.
“I don’t how a guy runs that hard to get the ball over, over and over again,” Whitesell said. “I’ve never seen a guy do that. He played the whole game and it looks like he could play another one right now. He’s got an unbelievable motor.”
“This was a tough game for Cedrick and Armond to go out on, because they’ve meant so very much to our program,” UIC coach Jimmy Collins said.
The duo helped the Flames to an 80-45 record in four years and three national postseason tournament berths, including two NCAA tournament appearances.
UIC (15-14), which will likely miss national postseason play for the first time in four years, didn’t go down without a fight.
The Ramblers (13-16) led 66-59 with under two minutes to play in regulation, but the Flames made a furious push, starting with Banks’ three-pointer with 1:29 to play.
“Seven points isn’t a lot in college basketball, especially against a rival” said Loyola senior guard DaJuan Gouard, who added 19 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Ramblers said. “All it takes is someone to knock down a big shot, and [UIC] did that.”
Schilb split a pair of free throws with 26.5 seconds to play in regulation to make it 72-68, but the Flames came back on an Armond Williams stickback with 20 seconds to play. On Loyola’s ensuing possession, Schilb was called for hooking Williams with his off arm, attempting to get away from pressure, turning the ball back over to the Flames.
Taking a page from the 2002 Horizon League championship game, in which UIC defeated Loyola in overtime, Banks hit an 8-footer from the left baseline to tie the game at 72-72 with 12.7 seconds left. Loyola had a chance to finish the game in regulation time, but UIC pressured the Ramblers so much that they could not even get a shot off.
“That was a frustrating time for us,” Whitesell said. “In those last 30 seconds, it seemed like everything went wrong for us. We just had to play another five [minutes], let’s just go do it.”
“Going into overtime, we just had to regroup,” Gouard said.
The game went back and forth in the overtime as UIC freshman Karl White hit a 15-foot jumper with 2:11 left to forge a 78-78 tie. Schilb made two free throws on the next possession to give Loyola an 80-78 advantage.
Gouard hit a 10-foot jumper with 1:13 left for an 82-81 Loyola lead. Schilb added two free throws for an 84-81 edge.
“We had no answer for Schilb or Gouard,” Collins said.
In a final flurry, Banks missed two three-pointers, including a wide open look from the top of the key, and Williams missed a layup with 20 seconds left. Loyola’s Majak Kou corralled the rebound and the Flames flailed away hopelessly in trying to foul a Rambler until Schilb hit a short runner at the other end to begin a three-point play and effectively end the Flames’ season.
“It was really hard to lose a game like this,” said junior forward Elliott Poole, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds. “I was an honor to play with these guys [Armond Williams and Cedrick Banks]. It’s hurtful, because we gave all we had. Coach said we had no answer for Schilb and that was the difference in the game.”
The Flames went on a 13-0 spurt to take control of the game for awhile. Banks hit a three-pointer, Rocky Collum nailed two threes, and Elliott Poole ran the floor for a beautiful fast break dunk in the run that gave UIC a 26-16 lead.
The Flames took a 34-26 lead into halftime. Collins was disappointed that the margin, because UIC forced 14 first-half turnovers, including seven by Schilb.
“I felt we should have been up a lot more,” Collins said. “The only thing you can do as a coach is prepare a team, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, and Loyola had a lot to do with it not working. We had momentum and then it stopped. Loyola conjured up energy.”
Loyola shot 38 percent in the first half and were out-rebounded 25-17. The Ramblers had no offensive rebounds in the first half and got just two for the entire game.
“In the first half, UIC really got us and kept us out of rhythm offensively,” Whitesell said. “They made us take some really tough shots and we were fortunate to be down eight. I told them at halftime, we needed to get some inside play and we needed better player movement, ball movement.”
The Ramblers picked it up early in the second half, going on a 10-0 run, which included six points by Schilb, for a 39-38 lead.
The game went back and forth until Anthony Smith scored on a layup with 3:56 left to give Loyola a 58-56 lead. Gouard nailed a three-pointer with 2:09 to go in the second half to extend the Ramblers’ lead to 66-59.
Justin Bowen was UIC’s third double-figure scorer with 12 points off the bench. Jovan Stefanov and Collum each added eight points.
“My hat’s off to Loyola,” Collins said. “We wish them well. Hopefully, they can keep the championship in Chicago.”
I won’t be easy for the Ramblers as they now face top-seed Wisconsin-Milwaukee (22-5) in Saturday night’s semifinal.
DETROIT 61, WRIGHT STATE 48: Sophomore guard Brandon Cotton scored 19 points as the third-seeded Titans (13-15) outscored the Raiders 20-7 in the final nine minutes.
DaShaun Wood scored 15 points to lead the sixth-seeded Raiders (15-15). The Titans advance to take on Wisconsin-Green Bay in Saturday’s semifinals.
TUESDAY, MARCH 1 OPENING ROUND
#4 Loyola 78, #9 Youngstown State 75
#5 UIC 84, #8 Cleveland State 65
#6 Wright State 61, #7 Butler 57
FRIDAY, MARCH 4 2ND ROUND (at U.S. Cellular Arena, Milwaukee)
#3 Detroit 61, #6 Wright State 48
#4 Loyola 87, #5 UIC 81 (OT)
SATURDAY, MARCH 5 SEMIFINALS (at U.S. Cellular Arena, Milwaukee)
#3 Detroit vs. #2 Wisconsin-Green Bay, 4:30 p.m.
#4 Loyola vs. #1 Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 7 p.m.
TUESDAY, MARCH 8 CHAMPIONSHIP (at highest seed)
Semifinal winners, 8 p.m.
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It was Blake Schilb’s night at the U.S. Cellular Arena as the sophomore from Downstate Rantoul poured in a career-high 39 points as the Ramblers moved on to Saturday’s semifinals with a 87-81 overtime victory.
It was also Armond Williams’ final game as a Flame and he put together a strong effort of eight points and 14 rebounds. The emotional Williams (pictured) sat teary-eyed in the postgame press conference, stunned that his college career had just ended.
Banks (pictured) came up big for the Flames again, drilling a three-pointer from the right elbow with 1:46 left to give UIC an 81-80 lead.
HORIZON LEAGUE TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS