Banks, Bailey, Carr star as Flames bounce back

(1/30/03)

Led by Cedrick Banks, Martell Bailey and Aaron Carr, UIC shot 59 percent from the field and a school-record 75 percent from three-point range as the Flames picked up a huge 89-76 road victory at Wright State’s Nutter Center Wednesday night.

The victory helps the Flames bounce back from Monday’s tough home loss to Detroit and pulls UIC (13-5, 7-2) into a virtual tie for first place with Butler in the Horizon League. The Bulldogs are 6-1 in league play (.833) and hold a percentage-points lead over UIC (.778).

Banks shot 13-of-18 from the field and 5-of-5 from three-point range and finished with 33 points. His torrid first half helped the Flames to a 20-7 lead. The lead was never threatened as the Raiders could not get any closer than seven points after that.

Carr snapped out of a major shooting slump with 22 points on 7-of-10 from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range. Bailey was the catalyst at the point once again, tying a Nutter Center record and his career-high with 13 assists, to go with seven points.

Jonathan Schneiderman added 13 points and three three-pointers for the Flames, which shot 12-of-16 from three for the game.

The Flames combined hot shooting with solid defense to take a 42-29 halftime lead. UIC held Wright State to 32 percent from the field in the first half.

UIC’s defense struggled in the second half as the Raiders ended up shooting 52 percent for the game. However, the Flames’ offense never cooled off, maintaining a double-digit throughout the second half.

The Flames outrebounded the Raiders 31-25 as Armond Williams grabbed a game-high 11 boards to go with 12 points.

Vernard Hollins’ 25 points led Wright State (7-11, 1-7), while Seth Doliboa added 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting. Trent Vaughn rounded out the double-figure scorers with 12 points.

FORMER FLAME COACH DIES: UIC’s first men’s basketball coach Leo Gedvilas passed away at 79 on Sunday, Jan. 26 in Naperville. Gedvilas, who coached the team when the campus was still based at Navy Pier, had a 102-80 career record for a school-best .560 winning percentage.

HEALTH UPDATE: UIC coach Jimmy Collins returned to bench Wednesday night after missing Monday’s game with Detroit with the flu, while reserve Guard Mike Smith is currently sidelined with a stress fracture in his left leg.

UP NEXT: The Flames return home for a two-game Horizon League homestand, with the first game coming this Saturday with Wisconsin-Green Bay. UIC won the first meeting, 78-71 at the Resch Center back on Dec. 21. Carr led the Flames with a career-best 24 points, while Green Bay’s Mike King had 14 points. The Flames must be ready to box out senior center Greg Babcock, who has been a rebounding machine as of late.

The game tips off at 3 p.m. at the Pavilion and both Fox Sports Net and ESPN Radio 1000 will broadcast the game.