Mayo leads Flames to much-needed victory

UIC SNAPS 5-GAME SKID

February 11, 2009

Whoosh! photo Josh Mayo scored 22 points as the Flames snapped their five-game losing streak on Tuesday night.

After a prolonged shooting slump, Josh Mayo decided to watch some home movies.

The self-analysis worked as Mayo scored 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting as UIC snapped a five-game losing streak with a 64-53 victory over Detroit at the Pavilion on Tuesday night.

“It feels great [to get back into rhythm],” said Mayo, who has 40 points in his last two games after averaging just 9.3 in his previous seven outings. “I actually sat down and looked at the tape to see how people were playing me on my own, kinda break myself down. It’s starting to come back to me a little bit.”

Mayo scored 13 points and handed out four assists in the second half as the Flames (11-13, 4-10 Horizon League) did not fritter away a double-digit lead on this night.

Mayo started a 11-4 run midway through the first half with a stepback jumper and had six points in the spurt as UIC built a 19-10 lead. The Flames eventually rode a 32-21 lead into the locker room as Robo Kreps, Jovan Ignjatovic and Scott VanderMeer each had six points for UIC.

VanderMeer, Ignjatovic and Jeremy Buttell were key, in particular, with their inside play in the opening stanza.

“UIC’s ability, in the first half, to dominate the glass really hurt us,” Detroit coach Ray McCallum said. “They established an inside game, they got inside baskets and with Kreps and Mayo, they’re tough to handle.”

It appeared that Detroit (7-17, 2-12), who resides in last place in the conference was going to make a comeback. The Titans clipped their deficit to 35-30 on a leaner by Thomas Kennedy with 15:10 to play.

Mayo started another big run with two free throws and then Tori Boyd nailed a three to conclude a 12-3 burst that put the Flames up 47-33 with 10:58 left.

Detroit closed to within 49-43 on Tryl Hartfield’s two free throws with 7:06 left, but UIC answered with baskets by VanderMeer and Mayo.

The Titans trimmed the lead down to six again at 55-49 on Kennedy’s putback with 3:54 to go, but Boyd hit a dagger from three-point range moments later to discourage any more significant counterattacks.

“It was a game that gave me nightmares when got around the 7-minute mark, because we’ve been there so many times before [with a lead],” UIC coach Jimmy Collins said. “The game seems to slip away because of the other team’s toughness and we don’t respond. In this game, we responded. We got the right people the ball and those people played the kind of basketball that we’re capable of playing against anybody.”

UIC shot a steady 45 percent from the field and 44 percent from three-point range while holding the Titans to 37 percent and out-rebounding them by 10.

Whoosh! photo UIC’s Robo Kreps, who had 10 points, said it was good to win, no matter the opponent.

“We didn’t wilt,” Collins said. “When you lose so many games, you worry about your team not fighting. That wasn’t the case as the rebounding showed 41-31 against a very athletic team. I’m very proud of that.”

Supporting Mayo were Kreps and VanderMeer, who had 10 points apiece and Boyd, who chipped in eight points—all in the second half. Buttell led the Flames with 11 rebounds and VanderMeer added nine.

Kennedy led Detroit with 21 points, 15 of which came in the first half. Rich Central graduate Michael Harrington added 13 points off the bench.

“We got over that hump tonight,” Kreps said. “We’ve been up so many games at 10-minute mark, 12-minute mark and then we let the lead slip away. We just need to build off this win and come together as a team for the rest of the season.

“A win’s a win,” Kreps added. “Right now, we needed that win. I don’t care if they’re a last-place team or a first-place team. We got the W tonight and that’s all that matters.”

PICKENS COMMITS: Chicagohoops.com reported that UIC received an oral commitment from 6-foot-7-inch forward Byron Pickens of Mineral Area (Mo.) College. The Flames had a commitment from Pickens two years ago when he was a senior at Senn High School, but Pickens decided to go JUCO. He will two years of eligibility at UIC.

FLAMES FLICKERS: With 8:40 left, the Titans lost guard Woody Payne to a right ankle sprain. Payne hobbled off the floor and sat out the rest of the game with his leg elevated. “Woody is as good as any on-the-ball defender in the conference,” McCallum said. “You take him away from us, that’s a problem.” … With the victory, UIC is now tied for seventh place with Loyola. … Mayo moved past Brian Hill (1988-92) for sixth place on UIC’s all-time scoring list. Mayo now has 1,585 points for his career and sits 44 points behind Greg Olsen (1967-71) for fifth.

UP NEXT: UIC begins a two-game weekend swing through Indiana when the Flames take on No. 15 Butler in Indianapolis on Friday night. The Bulldogs are 21-2 overall and 12-1 in the league and own a 59-52 win over the Flames back on Jan. 17. The game tips off at 6 p.m. with coverage on ESPNU. Audio coverage with the Flames’ voices, Adam Levinson and Kenny Williams, can be heard on WIND-AM 560.