Flames have fun, bust Georgia Southern

TRASH-TALKING, BONDING INSPIRE UIC’S WIN

(2/20/05)

What a difference 44 hours makes.

Less than two days after a bitter loss to crosstown Loyola and with the team looking despondent, UIC awoke Saturday afternoon.

Five Flames scored in double figures – including Cedrick Banks’ 24 points – in the team’s highest-scoring output of the season as UIC claimed a 92-83 victory over Georgia Southern in the Bracket Buster game in front of 3,151 fans at the UIC Pavilion.

What ignited the Flames?

Perhaps it was the trash-talking jabber of 5-foot-8 Georgia Southern guard Elton Nesbitt, who fired barbs at the Flames throughout the contest.

It helped the Flames forget they were on a two-game losing streak.

“[Nesbitt] was very funny,” said UIC forward Justin Bowen, who matched a season-high with 18 points to go with nine rebounds. “You don’t get tired, because you don’t him to beat you.”

The trash talking helped to loosen up the Flames (13-12), who also went through intense practice sessions after the Loyola game.

“The last two days of practice were not fun,” UIC coach Jimmy Collins said. “I thought the players responded well after two very emotional losses. For them to play so well was a tribute to them. Maybe all of the trash-talking out there helped us.”

The team also chose to bond on Friday night at the dorms.

“We had fun together as a team,” Banks said. “We were watching the young ladies. …”

“…And they were studying for next week,” Collins interrupted, making sure the players don’t forget their academics.

The fun carried over to the court Saturday as the Flames came out with a renewed vigor.

Rocky Collum had 15 points – on five three-pointers – and five assists, Armond Williams scored 13 points and Elliott Poole added 11 points.

After falling behind 7-3 early, UIC went on a 21-7 spurt, in which six Flames scored. Poole and Banks each had five points in the run and Bowen finished the flurry with back-to-back jumpers that put the Flames up 24-14 with 10:12 left in the first half.

The Flames led by as many as 15 points – at 37-22 on Williams’ free throw with 6:30 before halftime, but Georgia Southern (16-11) closed to 45-36 at the half.

UIC led by as many as 13 on numerous occasions in the second half before the Eagles chipped away late.

Nesbitt scored on a goaltended layup with 3:08 to play to cut the score to 82-77, but on the ensuing possession, Bowen put an exclamation point on the Flames’ resurgence.

With five seconds left on the shot clock and the Flames inbounding, Bowen broke free from his defender in the lane and dunked the ball on a feed from Collum. The Eagles never got any closer as UIC made 6-of-7 free throws down the stretch.

In fact, UIC shot a season-best 89 percent from the foul line (24-of-27). Poole and Banks were each 5-of-5, White was 5-of-6 and Williams, normally below 50 percent, was 7-of-9.

“We shoot free throws every day,” Banks said. “but we some extra practice the other day, because we were waiting for a couple of guys to get out of class.”

Also, the Flames’ defense picked up, holding Georgia Southern to 39 percent from the field and 23 percent from three-point range.

“We closed out on shooters a lot better,” Collins said. “We knew Georgia Southern was a tremendous three-point shooting team. We also worked on containment, because when they penetrate and kick, you can’t help and recover [quickly enough].”

Nesbitt led Georgia Southern with 24 points and Jean Francois added 15 points and seven rebounds.

Now, the Flames enter the final week of the regular season, focusing on obtaining the third seed for the Horizon League tournament. The first step comes Wednesday when Wright State comes to town.

3-GUARD LINEUP: To matchup with Georgia Southern’s quickness and athleticism, Collins started a three-guard combination of Banks, Collum and Karl White.

The maneuver was successful as the trio combined for 48 points and eight assists. White even showed his leaping ability with a lunging blocked shot.