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Second-half avalanche buries Flames THREES HAVE DYER CONSEQUENCES December 2, 2007
Six-foot-11 senior center Levi Dyer scored a season-best 25 points and made seven of his eight three-point attempts as Illinois State unleashed an avalanche of offense in the second half and coasted to a 73-47 victory over UIC on Saturday night in Normal. The game was tied 29-29 at the half, but the Redbirds (5-2) had a 23-2 burst to start the second half. ISU made 11 of their first 12 shots in the period, and on the flip side, the Flames (3-4) missed their first nine field-goal attempts of the second half. By the time the game was over, the second-half damage was startling. ISU shot 17-for-23 from the field (74 percent), while UIC was just 5-for-27 (19 percent). The Redbirds connected on more three-pointers (7) than UIC had field goals (5). “The Redbirds totally embarrassed us,” UIC coach Jimmy Collins said after the game. “They embarrassed us with their defensive scheme, especially in the second half. We knew Dyer was a tremendous three-point shooter. We talked about him for two days and showed film and the whole nine, but we let get him started. The reason he got started so well is because we could not guard anyone else.” Believe it or not, the game was competitive for the first 20 minutes. Dyer hit his first three to put ISU on top 17-10 with 10:30 left in the first half, but the Flames heated up with a 12-2 spurt. Reserve forward Jovan Ignjatovic scored five points in the run, including his first career three-pointer. Scott VanderMeer capped the drive with a jumper to give UIC a 22-19 lead with 4:11 left. It was a seesaw affair for the remainder of the half. Tori Boyd hit two free throws with 29 seconds remaining to tie the game. The floodgates opened beginning with Boo Richardson’s short jumper. Dyer hit three of his treys as the Redbirds turned a tie game into a 21-point lead in less than eight minutes. Josh Mayo and Robert Kreps shared top honors for UIC with 10 points apiece. However, Mayo, the Flames’ leading scorer, was shut out in the second half. Boyd had nine points and Ignjatovic added a career-best seven points for the Flames, who were playing the last of five games away from the UIC Pavilion. For Illinois State, who has not played a game outside of the state, Osiris Eldridge added 13 points and Boo Richardson chipped in with seven points and eight assists. FLAMES FLICKERS: The Flames’ active seniors — Robert Bush, Karl White Jr. and Jermaine Dailey — combined for only two points on 1-for-9 shooting. Bush, in his second game back from a left knee injury, played only nine minutes and missed all of his shots. White was 0-for-4 in his first game back from a calf injury. … Senior walk-on forward Ebenezer Noonoo, who has been out with a knee injury, has been practicing and is listed as day-to-day. … Dyer tied a Redbird Arena with his seven three-pointers. … The 47 points were the fewest by the Flames since a 71-45 loss at Butler on Jan. 29 of last season. |
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