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Flames can’t quite rebound CHARLOTTE EDGES UIC AT PARADISE JAM November 18, 2007
Even though his Flames won the battle of boards 39-35, it was the failure to secure two defensive rebounds in the final minute that led to UIC’s 64-63 downfall against Charlotte in the second round of the Paradise Jam tournament in the Virgin Islands on Saturday night. Leemire Goldwire hit a stepback three-pointer over the outstretched arm of Jermaine Dailey with 12 seconds left on the 49ers’ third chance to put Charlotte ahead 62-60. Goldwire and Lamont Mack had earlier missed potential go-ahead shots, but the Flames could not corral a rebound. “Rebounding was our Achilles’ Heel,” Collins said on the UIC radio broadcast after the game. “Blocking out on rebounds is still haunting us. The rebounds we had to have, we didn’t get.” UIC (2-2) had a chance to tie the game, but sophomore Spencer Stewart’s 12-foot jumper in the lane with 3 seconds to play rattled out. The Flames fouled Charles Dewhurst after the rebound and Dewhurst hit both shots with eight-tenths of a second to play to secure the victory for the 49ers (3-1). Josh Mayo hit a miraculous, leaning half-court three-pointer at the buzzer with a Charlotte defender nearby, prompting Collins to jump on the floor, attempting to barter a foul call on Charlotte, but the officials didn’t buy it. Mayo finished with 15 points, all on second-half three-pointers, to lead the Flames. Collins thought that Mayo was a little passive at times as the junior guard from Merrillville, Ind. went scoreless in the first half. “Josh has to be a scorer for us,” Collins said. “Sometimes he’s just too unselfish.” UIC trailed for most of the game but never was in danger of being blown out against the 49ers. Goldwire, the brother of former NBA journeyman Anthony Goldwire, hit a three-pointer late in the first half to put Charlotte up 31-27 after a sloppy first half. Both teams shot just under 30 percent in the opening period, while combining for 28 personal fouls and 23 turnovers. The 49ers appeared to be pulling away when Mack hit consecutive baskets, including a three-pointers, to go up 36-27 – their largest lead of the game. However, UIC responded with its best flurry of the contest. Mayo hit two three-pointers and assisted on a three for Stewart as the Flames went on a 13-2 burst to grab a 40-38 advantage with 12:39 remaining. Charlotte grabbed the lead back with five straight points, including three by Phil Jones. Dewhurst converted a three-point play with 8:51 to play as the 49ers took a 51-45 edge, but UIC tied it up again on three-pointers by Tori Boyd and Mayo. However, shortly thereafter, Mayo was called for a foul (his fourth) on Goldwire when it appeared that Goldwire just slipped on the floor. Mayo had to sit on the bench for a few minutes. “It was a big difference for us,” Collins said. “I thought [Goldwire] slipped. Josh wasn’t even close to him.” After Jeremy Buttell hit a layup to tie the game at 56-56 with 4:23 left, Mack, who once committed to Loyola and is originally from Chicago, drilled a three-pointer for a 59-56 lead for Charlotte. Stewart answered with a layup on a drive to the basket as he was fouled with 2:49 left, but he missed the free throw to keep the Flames at a one-point deficit. The Flames finally took the lead at 60-59 on Stewart’s floater in the lane with 1:05 remaining, leading to the game-deciding sequence. Goldwire and Mack each scored 14 points and Ian Andersen added 10 points for Charlotte, which will play Monmouth for fourth place on Monday. UIC, meanwhile, will face Wichita State, which fell to Monmouth 59-50 in Saturday’s second game. Gal Mekel had 17 points to lead the Shockers (1-2), from the Missouri Valley Conference. The UIC-Wichita State game for seventh place is set for noon Central time on Monday. Stewart added 11 points and six assists for the Flames, Buttell chipped in with eight points and 11 rebounds and Dailey added eight points of his own. The Flames played much better in the second half, shooting 48 percent from the field, including 7-for-10 from three-point range. Collins saw some improvements after Friday’s 14-point loss to Winthrop. “I thought we put up a gallant effort,” Collins said. “To come out and play as hard as we did after Friday’s game is a great tribute to this team.” FLAMES FLICKERS: Stewart had a beautiful alley-oop lob to the rim, which Dailey took and dunked with 4:12 left in the first half that tied the game at 26-26. … Stewart, usually a reliable free-throw shooter, continued his struggles at the line. He went 1-for-3 from the line and is now 3-for-9 on the season after shooting 16-for-17 last season. … Dailey played another solid game, tallying eight points (with two dunks) to go with solid defense in 19 minutes, earning postgame praise from Collins: “Jermaine played real well, especially when Scott and Josh were on the bench. He played tremendous defense on Mack in the final minutes.” … Center Scott VanderMeer had five blocked shots – four of which came in the first four minutes of the game. … All 19 players that saw time on the floor were called for at least one foul, including Charlotte’s Sean Phaler, who played just one minute at the end of the first half. Remarkably, despite 49 total fouls, no one fouled out. … Monday’s game against Wichita State will be available on the Internet. Free audio streaming is available www.uicflames.com with Flames’ play-by-play man Adam Levinson on the call. Also, the game will be available to watch on the on-line Pay-Per-View package for the Paradise Jam at www.WatchBTIHoops.com. … PARADISE JAM RESULTS/SCHEDULE (all times Central) FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16 FIRST ROUND Georgia Tech 82, Charlotte 77 Winthrop 72, UIC 58 Baylor 64, Wichita State 55 Notre Dame 76, Monmouth 33 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17 CONSOLATION Charlotte 64, UIC 63 Monmouth 59, Wichita State 50 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18 SEMIFINALS Winthrop 79, Georgia Tech 73 Baylor 68, Notre Dame 64 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19 UIC vs. Wichita State (seventh place), noon Charlotte vs. Monmouth (fourth place), 2:30 Georgia Tech vs. Notre Dame (third place), 5 (Fox College Sports) Winthrop vs. Baylor (championship), 7:30 (Fox College Sports) |
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