Flameout in UIC’s return home

C. MICHIGAN PUTS BAD TASTE IN FLAMES’ MOUTHS

November 25, 2010

Whoosh! photo UIC junior guard Zavion Neely had nine points, five rebounds and four assists but shot just 4-for-17 from the field in a loss to Central Michigan on Wednesday.

UIC players certainly hope their Thanksgiving meals will taste better than the heaping helping of humble pie they were served.

After a great effort in winning two of three games in Toledo last weekend, the Flames returned home and produced a dud in a 62-52 loss to Central Michigan at the UIC Pavilion on Wednesday night.

UIC (3-3) shot just 33 percent from the field and was simply beaten down physically by the Chippewas, who outscored the Flames 30-10 in the paint and outrebounded them 37-34.

“What it came down to is they just outworked us,” said senior guard Robo Kreps, who led the Flames with 14 points. “That’s not a staple Coach Moore is trying to put in. We took a step back tonight. They were just physical than us. We spent a lot of time in the weight room, a lot of time working out, and they just pushed us around. We can’t allow that to happen anymore.”

Guard Trey Zeigler, son of CMU coach Ernie Zeigler, led the Chippewas (2-3) with 17 points while Jalin Thomas and William McClure had their way in the post. Thomas scored 13 points and McClure added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

“They came out really intense and we didn’t match their intensity,” said UIC senior forward Paul Carter, who had 10 points and nine rebounds Their bigs were scoring in the paint and they were aggressive.”

After the Chippewas took a 4-0 lead, the Flames scored the next 10 unanswered points, which included two baskets by starting center Darrin Williams.

Following UIC’s run, Central Michigan started to find a rhythm , taking the ball to the hole with little resistance. McClure had two layups during a 9-0 run that gave the Chippewas a 26-18 lead late in the first half.

“Central Michigan came in with a good game plan,” UIC coach Howard Moore said. “They got into us, being physical on our cuts, shrinking the floor and changing defenses on us. I thought we were a little tentative to run our stuff tonight. The disappointing part was that we didn’t come out and be the aggressors.”

CMU took a 28-21 lead in the locker room and scored Thomas scored the first five points of the second half for a 12-point lead. Kreps answered with a three-pointer and layup, but the Chippewas were just too much on this night.

Paul Carter hit two free throws to cut the Flames’ deficit to 42-35 with 9:15 remaining, but Zeigler scored on a layup after an offensive rebound and Amir Rashid followed with three-pointer to boost CMU’s lead back into double-digits at 49-37 with 8:38 to play.

UIC never closed its deficit to less than 10 again as it suffered a bitter Thanksgiving Eve defeat.

“We’ll learn from it,” Kreps said. “We’ll come back. We’re already looking forward to the game Sunday (vs. Toledo). We’ve already got a bad taste in our mouths.”

Whoosh! photo Flame of the Game It wasn’t good night for many Flames, but senior guard Robo Kreps led the team in scoring with 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting, including two three-pointers, while playing just under 40 minutes. He took one short breather in the final three minutes but returned to the game just seconds later.

INJURY NEWS: Junior guards Matt Bush and Daniel Barnes sat out as they continue to nurse knee injuries. Bush tweaked his knee against Roosevelt on Nov. 15 and has missed the last four games and Barnes went down in the second half against Rhode Island on Sunday.

Neither Moore nor Flames staff would say how long either player would be out of action.

“There’s nothing to tell right now” was all Moore said in the postgame press conference.

Moore didn’t use the absences of Bush and Barnes as an excuse.

“I thought our guys in the regular rotation should have been a little bit more prepared,” Moore said. “Our guys didn’t battle as much as I thought we would tonight. We looked like the fatigued team rather than the one that was playing at home.”

FLAMES FLICKERS: Freshman guard Shawn King from Gilbert, Ariz. made his Flames’ debut when he entered with 19:26 remaining in the game. He got his jitters out of the way quickly as he turned the ball over within seven seconds. King, who is recovering from a knee injury, hit a 15-foot jumper and two free throws to finish with four points in 14 minutes. ...

Among the Flames to struggle from the field were junior guard Zavion Neely (4-for-17) and Paul Carter (1-for-7). … Williams finished with seven points and six rebounds for UIC. … Paris Carter, who played 12 minutes and grabbed one rebound in the first half, did not play in the second half. Moore didn’t elaborate. … Sophomore swingman Anthony Kelley also received some playing time for the first time in a non-blowout game as he finished with two points on 1-for-3 shooting, one rebound and one assist. … There was some talk about moving the start time of Sunday’s home game against Toledo after the Bears’ game with Philadelphia was moved to 3:15, but nothing materialized.

AT THE BUZZER:This was a letdown for the Flames, and with a new coaching staff and lot of transition, games like this tend happen on occasion. Offensively, UIC didn’t look crisp very often even though Moore said the Flames got “good looks.” They just didn’t knock them down. It was evident that the injuries are taking their toll on the quality of the Flames’ rotation. Kreps just can’t possibly play 40 minutes every night. Someone will need to step up to give the senior co-captain a little bit of breather.