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Schilb hits UIC right where it hurts RAMBLERS FINALLY KNOCK OFF FLAMES (3/2/07)
Senior Blake Schilb scored 31 points, including seven points in the final 2 minutes 45 seconds to lead the Ramblers (21-10) to a 66-62 victory over the Flames in the second-round game of the Horizon League tournament at Wright State’s Nutter Center on Friday night. Loyola moves on the semifinals against Butler on Saturday night. UIC had won both regular season matchups against Loyola including a 52-51 decision at the Gentile Center just six days earlier. After UIC (14-18) led for most of the first half, Schilb took over, spreading his scoring out nearly equally over both halves. The Ramblers built as much as a 12-point lead in the second half before the Flames made a furious rally. With the Ramblers leading 62-60 in the final 30 seconds of the game, they worked the ball around to Schilb, who hit an 8-foot baseline jumper with 10.8 seconds left and was fouled in the process by UIC’s Othyus Jeffers.
Schilb converted the three-point play and the Flames were done. “The teammates just got me the ball in the right spot,” Schilb said. “I don’t want to be done yet. I didn’t want my season to end.” Schilb also had two key floaters that stemmed a strong Flames push in the final minutes. “Schilb made some key baskets down the stretch,” UIC associate coach Mark Coomes said. “I thought we defended him very well, but he looked really comfortable tonight.” Loyola also looked really cozy in the low post, dominating the boards to tune of a 40-26 advantage, including 16-8 on the offensive end, frequently boxing out UIC players. “Tonight we got beat pretty bad on the boards,” Coomes said. “We allowed them to get some offensive putbacks. They got some cheap baskets on us.” “[Loyola] sent everybody after rebounds,” Jeffers added. “Their guards were getting tips to the big men, making putbacks.” Things appeared to be in the bag for Loyola when it took a 58-46 lead on two free throws by Tom Levin with 5:08 to play, but the Flames had one final run in them. T.J. Gray hit a three-pointer with 4:25 left to start the run. Then Josh Mayo hit a layup and Jeffers nailed two free throws to cut the deficit to 58-53. Schilb followed with a tough leaner with 2:45 left to put Ramblers up 60-53. “It looked we were going to get rolling, but give UIC credit, they came back,” Whitesell said. “Their zone bothered us a little bit in the second half. We got a little bit out of sorts there, but Blake made some big-time baskets to put us over the edge.” Jovan Stefanov converted a three-point on the Flames’ next possession to slice the deficit to 62-58 with 2:32 to go. After Schilb missed the front end of a 1-and-1, Jeffers was fouled going to the basket. With a chance to cut Loyola’s lead to two, Jeffers missed both free throws and Schilb hit another tough shot in the lane, maneuvering around UIC’s 6-foot-11 giant Scott VanderMeer. Jeffers tried to redeem himself with back-to-back layups – the last coming with 44.6 seconds left to close the gap to 62-60, but Schilb made his Superman play as the shot-clock was winding down to put the Flames away.
Jeffers led four Flames in double figures with 14 points, although six of those points came in the final 3:09. Mayo had 13 points, Stefanov put in 12 points and Gray added 11. While Schilb did most of Loyola’s scoring, the Ramblers shared the rebounding responsibilities. Freshman forward Andy Polka had 12 rebounds, while Schilb grabbed eight. Five other Ramblers snagged multiple rebounds. UIC looked sharp early, taking a 14-9 lead after a three-pointer by Gray. Then Mayo stepped up when Jeffers, Robert Bush and VanderMeer were all in first-half foul trouble. Mayo scored seven points, capped by a steal and a layup in a short burst that gave the Flames a 25-18 lead with 5:40 left in the opening half. Gray hit a three to put UIC up 28-22, but the Flames went ice cold. “They got off to such a good start,” Whitesell said. “They were shooting the threes so well. Their little guards [Mayo and Gray] bothered us as they can, and we were trying to get our feet around us a bit. We were too anxious to play. They had use up some nervous energy.” Loyola closed the first half on a 17-6 run to take a 39-34 lead into the locker room. Schilb had eight points in the spurt and Majak Kou hit a wide-open layup with under a second left in the half. The Ramblers opened the second half on a mission with renewed defensive vigor to slow down Mayo and Gray. “We made an adjustment on ball-screen at halftime,” Whitesell said. “In the first half, we were going underneath the screens and [Mayo] was able to get some space and he would break us down. We rotated some guys on him. I think we kept a fresh body on him most of the time.” UIC got passive and Loyola became aggressive, taking a 56-44 lead as Schilb closed a 7-0 run with a three-pointer with 6:14 left. The Flames were struggling on offense and time was ticking away. “I stopped being aggressive early in the second half,” Mayo said. “We were not hitting shots, but we were still getting good [looks]. That’s the way it goes sometimes.”
“In the middle of the game, we couldn’t buy a basket,” Coomes said. “Like we’ve done all year long, we came back. The guys fought, they scrapped and they never gave up.” The loss meant the end of the UIC career of Stefanov, the fifth-year senior. “No, it hasn’t set in yet. Right now, I’m going through the regular procedure after we lose a game. I haven’t had a chance to really think about it.” However, there’s a lot of things the Flames will be thinking about in the offseason. FLAMES FLICKERS: Mayo finished the Horizon tournament a perfect 18-for-18 from the free-throw line, tying the tournament record for most charity tosses made without a miss. Xavier’s John Shimko was also 18-for-18 in 1984. … Jeffers had a season-low two rebounds for the Flames. … All 10 active players got into the game for UIC, including Eb Noonoo, who subbed for Jeffers with 4.6 seconds left after Jeffers picked up his fifth foul. … The microcosm of the game occurred with 9:25 left when Loyola gathered in four consecutive offensive rebounds before Stefanov fouled Polka. … With 14:06 left in the game, Bush had a three-pointer roll around the cylinder twice before it fell out. … After being called for his second foul of the game with 4:33 left in the first half, VanderMeer retreated to the bench with a bloody nose. … It was UIC’s first losing season since 2000-01 when the Flames were 11-16, and ironically enough, that campaign ended at the Nutter Center with a 62-61 loss to Cleveland State in the conference tournament. … The Flames went 8-11 under interim coach Mark Coomes as Jimmy Collins continues his recovery.
Tillema, a sophomore forward, hit 4-of-7 from three-point range. The Phoenix (18-14) reached the tournament semifinals for the third straight season with a stifling defensive effort, holding the Penguins to 33 percent shooting, including 1-of-17 from three-point range. Senior Keston Roberts led Youngstown State (14-17) with 18 points, while fellow senior Quin Humphrey had 12. “We did a good job of keying on the two players unbelievable players in Quin Humphrey and Keston Roberts,” UWGB coach Tod Kowlaczyk said. “The defensive effort of Ryan Evanochko and Ryan Tillema that won us the game.”
TUESDAY, FEB. 27 FIRST ROUND #6 UIC 83, #7 Wisconsin-Milwaukee 77 #5 Youngstown State 82, #8 Detroit 80 #4 Wisconsin-Green Bay 78, #9 Cleveland State 59 FRIDAY, MARCH 2 SECOND ROUND (NUTTER CENTER) #3 Loyola 66, #6 UIC 62 #4 Wisconsin-Green Bay 72, #5 Youngstown State 55 SATURDAY, MARCH 3 SEMIFINALS (NUTTER CENTER) #3 Loyola (21-10) vs. #2 Butler (26-5), 4 #4 Wisconsin-Green Bay (18-14) vs. #1 Wright State (21-9), 6 TUESDAY, MARCH 6 CHAMPIONSHIP At highest remaining seed, 8 |
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2007 HORIZON LEAGUE TOURNAMENT