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Backcourt duo saves Flames KREPS HITS WINNER, NEELY SCORES 22 November 29, 2010
Kreps scored just nine points in the game, but he hit the game-winning three-pointer with 7.8 seconds to play as UIC pulled out a 63-62 victory over a gritty Toledo team at the UIC Pavilion. It was the second time the Flames (4-3) beat the Rockets (0-7) in nine days as the teams also battled during the 2K Sports Classic in Toledo on Nov. 19. “It was a grinder all the way to the end,” UIC coach Howard Moore said. “I’m really excited about the way our guys stepped up and got this thing done. It was a battle of wills. We knew this wasn’t a typical 0-6 team coming in here. It was a matter of a team that was just hungry and thought this was a win that they could get.” It was Kreps that hit the decisive shot, but junior guard Zavion Neely was the one that kept UIC in the game. Neely finished with a season-high 22 points on 7-for-9 shooting and bounced back from a 4-for-17 performance in a 62-52 loss to Central Michigan on Wednesday. “It was something the coaches talked about, just being confident in your shot,” Neely said. “People have nights like that. It happens to everyone, so I just stay focused in what I had to do and didn’t worry about my shot tonight.” Moore believed the Flames’ defense-first mentality helped Neely to be more effective on offense. “Z’s mind-set was where we always wanted it to be, really on the defensive end and making sure he’s locked into what he needs to do defensively,” Moore said. “When he focuses on the right things, everything else falls into place. Z just played within the flow of the offense, which is what I like. He got opportunities, he was open, he stepped in and knocked them down.” Neely scored eight straight points in an 11-0 run early in the second half, which helped the Flames build a 46-39 lead with 12:23 left. Toledo didn’t fold, finally tying the game at 58-58 on Jay Shunnar’s three-pointer with 2:34 left. Malcolm Griffin (team-high 18 points), a Chicago product and graduate of Hyde Park High School, split a pair of free throws with 35.7 seconds left to give the Rockets a 61-60 lead. Junior forward Paris Carter missed a close-in shot on the other end, forcing the Flames to foul. Another Chicago native, Delino Dear of Mt. Carmel High School, went to the line with 15.2 seconds remaining as he converted the first foul shot before missing the second, setting up Kreps’ winning three-ball. The Flames hurried the ball up the court with senior forward Paul Carter setting a screen at the top of the key, allowing Kreps to get free and bury the go-ahead basket with 7.8 seconds to go. “Me and Paul talked about it in our huddle up,” said Kreps, who also tied his career-high with seven assists. “We were going to set a drag screen for me and if I didn’t don’t have a shot, I would kick it back to him. Fortunately, they miscommunicated, so I was open and hit the shot.” Toledo had one last chance, but Griffin missed a 15-foot stepback jumper as the final seconds ran off the clock. The Rockets for most of the first half until Neely buried a 12-foot jumper as the Flames grabbed a 21-20 advantage with 4:56 before halftime. After exchanging the lead a couple of the times, Toledo took a 27-26 lead into the locker room. Almost lost in the shuffle of the game-winning shot and Neely’s standout day was the effort of Paul Carter, who posted Division I career-highs with 14 rebounds and six assists to go with 11 points. “That’s what he’s capable of,” Moore said. “That’s what I want him to do all the time. He had six assists, one turnover, that’s what I expect from Paul Carter. The 14 rebounds were huge, hitting the glass, affecting the game in different ways other than his scoring. When I coached against him in the Big Ten the last two years, I saw a player who can put up stat lines like this if he had the minutes.”
FLAMES FLICKERS: Kreps' game-winner was the third time in his career he hit a deciding shot in the final 10 seconds of a game. In a 63-61 win over Oregon State on Dec. 16, 2009, he drove in for a layup with 5.6 seconds remaining. He also nailed a 12-foot jumper with 4.4 seconds to play as UIC won at Evansville 82-80 on Feb. 20, 2010. … The home-and-home series with Toledo was the first team UIC has played a non-conference foe twice in the same season since the 2003-04 season when the Flames swept Evansville within four days. UIC won at Evansville 70-54 on Nov. 21, 2003, as Cedrick Banks poured in 26 points, then held off the Purple Aces 77-73 at the Pavilion on Nov. 25 behind Martell Bailey’s 15 assists. … Neely narrowly missed his career-high in points. He scored 24 in a 74-64 loss at Southern Illinois one year to the date. … Brad Birton scored eight points and took his 15th charge in seven games this season. … Paris Carter matched his season-high of eight points, which he had against Roosevelt on Nov. 15. … Freshman forward Eddie Denard was walking with the help of crutches and did not dress for the second straight game, joining guards Daniel Barnes and Matt Bush on the sidelines. … The Flames have now defeated Toledo five straight times. … UIC dominated Toledo on the boars 37-20, including 16-9 on the offensive end. ... Sophomore guard Corey Gray played four minutes in his first action since the Roosevelt game, spelling Kreps on two occasions. … Former Flames coach Jimmy Collins celebrated his 63rd birthday on Nov. 24. AT THE BUZZER:With teams starting to focus more on Kreps and Paul Carter, it was good to see Neely step up on offense. Games like that won’t allow defenses to key as much on the Flames’ stars. The Flames’ offense was crisper as it racked up 17 assists (to just 12 turnovers) on 24 field goals while the defense made stops when it had to. Give Toledo credit for battling. The Rockets kept the game close by shooting the ball well (44 percent), getting the foul line (10 more attempts than UIC) and limiting turnovers (eight). |
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