Feb. 5, 2012
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CHICAGO, Ill. - Cleveland State shot 56 percent from the field and won for the 20th time this year with a 70-42 victory at UIC on Sunday afternoon at UIC Pavilion.
The win gave the Vikings 20 wins for the ninth time in program history, including four of the last five seasons.
CSU is not 20-4 overall and maintained its first place standing in the Horizon League at 10-2. UIC fell to 7-16 overall and 3-10 in league play.
Jeremy Montgomery led CSU with 14 points, all in the second half, in his final game in his native Chicago. He went 4-of-5 from three-point. Anton Grady, who was making his first career start, notched his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Trey Harmon scored 13 points and Tim Kamczyc added 10.
Grady hit all six of his field goals and went 10-of-10 from the field in CSU's two wins in Chicago this weekend.
Two days after blitzing Loyola for 68 percent shooting, the third highest in school history, the Vikings did the same thing to UIC, hitting 28-of-50 (.560) from the field. It marked the fourth time in the last five games that CSU hit at 50 percent or better from the floor.
CSU built a 24-17 halftime lead, but went on to outscore the Flames, 46-25, in the second half. The Vikings hit 17-of-27 (.630) from the field in the second half, including a scorching 8-of-11 (.727) from three-point.
The Vikings tenacious defensive pressure forced UIC into a 15-of-55 (.273) effort from the floor, the lowest by a CSU opponent this season.
The 42 points marked the lowest by a Viking opponent this year and the seventh time a team failed to score 50 points against CSU, including three straight.
Playing without senior forward D'Aundray Brown who was injured in Friday's win at Loyola, the Vikings wasted little time in jumping on the Flames, using two baskets by Grady and one by Harmon to take a 6-1 lead four minutes into the half.
Two more buckets by Grady forced a UIC timeout with CSU ahead, 10-3, at the 13:02 mark, but it was little help, as Harmon hit a three-pointer, Charlie Lee followed with a jumper and Marlin Mason a one-handed slam off a missed shot to give the Vikings a 17-5 lead with 8:34 left.
It was CSU's pressure defense that allowed them to hold the Flames to just five points in the first 12 minutes of the contest, forcing eight UIC turnovers, including two shot clock violations.
However, the Flames began to get on track offensively, thanks to eight points by Hayden Humes, including a pair of three-pointers that allowed UIC to climb within 24-17 at the half.
A three-pointer by Montgomery gave CSU a 12 point (31-19) lead with 18:18 left, but five straight from UIC brought the Flames back within seven at 31-24 with just under 17 minutes to play.
The Flames were still down just eight with 13:55 left when Darrin Williams was called for an intentional foul on Aaron Pogue who split the free throws before Montgomery nailed a triple to complete a four-point CSU possession and extend the lead to 40-28 with 13:28 left in the game.
The possession started an 8-2 run that gave the Vikings a 46-30 lead with 9:20 left and all but sealed the game.
CSU continued to pour it on with its hot shooting from the field in the second half and just missed holding an opponent under 40 points for the first time since 2001 when Anthony Kelly's three-pointer with 29 seconds left gave UIC 42 points.
Both teams finished with 33 rebounds, while CSU forced 16 turnovers. The Vikings committed 13 of their own, but just three in the second half when they ran away with the game.
CSU hit 9-of-17 (.529) from the field.
The Vikings are back in action on Thursday (Feb. 9) when CSU hosts Valparaiso at 7:00 p.m. in the Wolstein Center for CSU's first home game since a win over Milwaukee on Jan. 22. The Crusaders will enter the contest in second place in the league at 10-3, just one-half game behind CSU.
