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Eppinger, VanderMeer lead balanced attack FLAMES CLOSE REGULAR SEASON STRONG March 2, 2009
A balanced team effort led the Flames (15-14, 7-11) to their fifth victory in six games down the stretch. UIC finished the regular season, tied for sixth place, earning the No. 7 seed and a first-round date at Youngstown State on Tuesday. “We needed this momentum going into the tournament,” said senior center Scott VanderMeer, who had a season-best 17 points to go with 12 points. “We’re coming together as a team. We’re all contributing. Everybody’s been playing their role and people are stepping up their game for tournament time.” Junior forward Rob Eppinger went 8-for-8 from the field for a career-high 16 points to go with five rebounds to lead the Flames, who never trailed in the contest. “Eppinger did a fantastic job tonight,” UIC coach Jimmy Collins said. “I think he’s put a lot of the negative things off his shoulders. He’s playing positive. Everybody on this team has a role. I think Eppinger has begun to understand what his role is to this team.” UIC took advantage of an atrocious first half by the Ramblers (14-17, 6-12), who shot 19 percent. The Flames jumped out to a 31-20 halftime lead. UIC flexed its interior muscle as VanderMeer notched five points and Eppinger four in a 12-0 spurt that gave the Flames a 21-7 advantage with 8:57 left in the opening period. Eppinger hit a 12-foot jumper to close out the first-half scoring. Robo Kreps and Eppinger each had baskets as UIC extended its edge to 15 points early in the second half. The Ramblers were kept at a safe distance for most of the final 20 minutes. Loyola cut the deficit to seven points on a couple of occasions, but the Flames had answers almost every time. UIC extended its lead back to 56-43 on VanderMeer’s 17-foot jumper with 5:31 left, forcing Ramblers coach Jim Whitesell to call his final timeout in an act of desperation. “The first 34 minutes UIC really kept us at bay … they really frustrated us,” Whitesell said. “You’re down 13. I was very upset with our guys. This is UIC—you better get in there and compete. We’re not playing aggressive. I was really surprised by that.” The Ramblers finally got the message, chipping away in the final minutes. Even though Josh Mayo hit what looked like to be a back-breaking three-pointer with 3:48 left, Loyola did not quit. The Ramblers closed the deficit to 60-58 with a 10-1 run that was capped Marcus Thomas’ three-ball with 43.1 seconds left. UIC’s Mayo missed a well-contested shot in traffic with 12 seconds remaining and Loyola corralled the rebound. With no timeouts left, the Ramblers scrambled downcourt. Justin Cersaoli hit freshman Jordan Hicks with a pass near the three-point arc, but Hicks fumbled the ball away as Kreps grabbed the steal with just 3 seconds to play. Mayo was fouled and made two insurance free throws.
The Flames shot 49 percent from the game while holding Loyola to 35 percent. UIC out-rebounded the Ramblers 40-29. Mayo and Kreps joined Eppinger and VanderMeer in double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Spencer Stewart handed out seven of UIC’s 15 assists. Senior guard J.R. Blount led the Ramblers with 16 points in his final home game, while Cerasoli added 13 points and seven assists and Darrin Williams chipped in 12 points. UIC feels like its rounding into perfect shape for a run through the conference tournament, winning the close games instead of blowing away leads. “Coach [Collins] always says we need to have poise at the end of the game,” VanderMeer said. “Time management and poise, and we’ve gotten smarter as the season goes along.” HORIZON LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: UIC, who earned the No. 7 seed, travels to Youngstown’s Beeghly Center, to face No. 6 seed YSU on Tuesday night in the opening round of the Horizon League tournament. The Flames lost both regular-season meetings to the Penguins for the first time in school history. YSU took an 80-70 win at Beeghly on Jan. 8 and held on for a 68-60 victory at the Pavilion on Feb. 7, nearly blowing a 21-point lead. “We know that they’re a very good transitional team,” Collins said. “We have to come out and execute and do the things that we do. Sometimes you get to playing and the other team gets you to vacate your game. We can’t play like Youngstown played. We have to go there and be mentally prepared.” UIC last beat the Penguins in the opening round of last year’s Horizon League tournament at the Pavilion. The Flames will have the services of junior forward Jeremy Buttell, who missed the Loyola game with a sore left knee. The game tips off at 6 p.m. on Wednesday night with live video streaming on the Horizon League Network and radio coverage with Adam Levinson and Kenny Williams on WIND-AM 560. TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE TUESDAY, MARCH 3 FIRST ROUND #10 Detroit (7-22, 2-16) at #3 Cleveland State (20-10, 12-6), 6 #7 UIC (15-14, 7-11) at #6 Youngstown State (11-18, 7-11), 6 #9 Valparaiso (9-21, 5-13) at #4 Wright State (18-12, 12-6), 6 #8 Loyola (14-17, 6-12) at #5 Milwaukee (16-13, 11-7), 7 FRIDAY, MARCH 6 SECOND ROUND AT INDIANAPOLIS Valpo/WSU vs. Loyola/Milwaukee, 5 Detroit/CSU vs. UIC/YSU, 7 SATURDAY, MARCH 7 SEMIFINALS AT INDIANAPOLIS Valpo/WSU/Loyola/Milwaukee at #1 Butler (25-4, 15-3), 6 Detroit/CSU/UIC/YSU vs. #2 Green Bay (22-9, 13-5), 8 TUESDAY, MARCH 10 CHAMPIONSHIP at higher seed, 8 |
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