Flames win slobberknocker over Titans

BANKS, COLLUM, DEFENSE GET IT DONE

(1/21/05)

It was battle between of two of the biggest stars in the Horizon League, pitting UIC’s fifth-year senior Cedrick Banks against Detroit’s super sophomore Brandon Cotton.

The senior provided just enough firepower to edge the sophomore as the Flames pulled out a 63-57 victory over the Titans at the UIC Pavilion on Thursday – UIC’s fifth consecutive win.

Banks scored 28 points on 10-of-20 from the field, including four three-pointers, to lead the Flames (9-7, 4-2) to a critical conference victory.

Cotton scored 21 points on 9-of-19 from the field for the Titans (7-9, 4-2) and showed why he has a great future at Detroit.

Often times the two guarded each other, and Banks said he fed off Cotton’s play.

“Brandon makes you bring out your energy,” Banks said. “He’s a good penetrator and you’ve got to bring energy to try to contain him.”

Banks racked up his points despite a tough Titans defense hounding him most of the way. When Banks scored his first basket of the game – a three-pointer, he was bumped to floor. However, Banks said he was ready for the contact.

“I worked on my shot in practice,” he said. “and Coach [Jimmy Collins] let the scout team beat up on us.”

“Those are two great players,” Detroit coach Perry Watson said. “The difference was Banks’ experience. He caught Brandon a couple of times and Brandon lost track of him.

“The good news is that Banks will be gone at the end of the year, and we’ll have Brandon for a few more years.”

Banks wasn’t the only Flame to contribute to the victory, however, as UIC’s defense and timely baskets down the stretch sealed the outcome.

After Cotton converted a three-point play to pull the Titans within 50-48 with just over 4 minutes left, the game took a final turn in UIC’s favor.

Elliott Poole (six points, six rebounds) drew a charging foul on Detroit’s Chuck Bailey (12 points, nine rebounds), who was looking to tie the game. Then on the Flames’ ensuing possession, Armond Williams (eight points, five rebounds), who was double-teamed in the post, whipped a pass to Rocky Collum on the opposite wing, leading to a Collum three-pointer that put UIC up 53-48 with 3:09 to play.

“Armond was in trouble on the baseline,” Collum said. “I waved my hand and he caught me when I was open.”

After the teams traded baskets, Williams put a capper on the game with a two-handed dunk with 1:05 left for a 57-50 lead. The Flames made 6-of-8 free throws in the final minute to close out the game.

Collum gave the Flames some solid support with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including three three-point baskets and a team-high four assists. He made up for an 0-for-6 shooting performance in UIC’s loss at Detroit last month – in just his second game as a Flame after recovering from a knee injury.

“I played with a lot more confidence than in the first game,” Collum said. “I just fed off my teammates and hit my shots.”

UIC wasn’t intimidated by a Detroit team that thoroughly dominated Loyola three days prior. The Flames out-rebounded the Titans 36-34 for the game, and UIC’s defense held Detroit to just 39 percent shooting.

“I thought UIC was the aggressor on the boards, especially in the first half,” Detroit coach Perry Watson said. “We were much more active in the second half, but offense was out of sync. Give UIC credit for that.”

Collins was pleased with the grit that the Flames displayed in the hard-fought game.

“There were times when our defense was excellent and there were times when their defense was excellent, like a chess match,” Collins said. “We reached the level of the toughness of the Titans.”

BIG WIN: With the win, the Flames pulled into a three-way tie for second place with Detroit and Wisconsin-Milwaukee at 4-2 in Horizon League play. Wisconsin-Milwaukee stands at the top with a 7-1 mark after an 85-65 victory over Cleveland State on Thursday.

DIPSY-DO DUNKAROO: With UIC ahead 55-50 with just over a minute remaining, Poole found Williams streaking toward the basket and lobbed the ball to him. Williams tried a one-handed slam, which clanged off the rim. Jovan Stefanov tracked down the ball 25 feet away from the basket and fed it back to Williams for the two-handed dunk that gave the Flames a seven-point lead.

Freshman Karl White also had a brilliant steal, which lead to a breakaway one-handed dunk, late in the first half.

UP NEXT: The Flames return to the road for a two-game trip that starts Saturday night against Wisconsin-Green Bay at the Resch Center.

Wisconsin-Green Bay is 11-5 overall and 4-2 in the conference after getting thumped at home by Loyola 80-61.

The Phoenix has a balanced attack, led by sophomore forward Josh Lawrence, who averages 12.8 points per game and shoots 57 percent from the field. Three others average in double figures, including forward Benito Flores and guards Javier Mendiburu and Matt Rohde. Mendiburu leads the conference in assists with 7.0 per contest.

UIC has won six straight in the series and eight of the last nine, including the last four played in Green Bay, but Collins isn’t taking them lightly.

“We’re going to approach [Green Bay] the same way we did [Detroit],” he said. “They’re tough. We heard that Loyola beat them, so there probably going to be in cantankerous mood.”

The game tips at 7:05 p.m. and can be heard on the internet only at www.espnradio1000.com and www.uicflames.com.