March 1, 2005
CHICAGO - Cleveland State rallied midway in the first to take a three-point advantage over UIC, but an ensuing 16-0 run by the fifth-seeded Flames thwarted any chances of an upset, as the eighth-seeded Vikings dropped an 84-65 decision at the UIC Pavilion in the first round of the American Family Insurance Horizon League Championship.
A three-pointer by sophomore forward Patrick Tatham gave CSU its first lead of the night at 26-23 at 7:51 of the first, but UIC would score 16 unanswered to build a 13 point advantage that they would not relinquish.
"UIC is a tough, tournament-tested team," head coach Mike Garland said. "We had an opportunity with a lead in the first half and a chance to extend it, but the turnovers really hurt us."
Cleveland State finishes the year with a 9-17 mark, while UIC (15-13) advances to face Loyola on Friday (March 4) in Milwaukee.
The Vikings got down by seven early in the game at 18-11, but triples by Victor Morris and Raheem Moss, followed by an old-fashion three pointer by Frashon McGee, spurred a 9-2 CSU run to tie the score at 23. After Tatham's lead-changing trey, however, the Viking shooting would go cold, as UIC would take a 12-point advantage into the locker room at 45-33.
The second half was all UIC as the Flames would finish the contest shooting .517 (31-60) to the Vikings' .339 (21-62) while outscoring CSU 48-14 in the paint. Nineteen CSU turnovers would prove to be costly as well, as the Flames would convert for 30 points.
"We shot the ball so well this afternoon [in practice], but we couldn't get anything to fall in the game," Garland added. "We missed a lot of opportunities, but we did not lack in our effort."
Amadou Koundoul scored a career-high 15 points (5-for-7), all in the second half, to lead the Vikings. McGee chipped in a career-best 13, with all coming in the first stanza.
Cedric Banks paced all scorers with 23, while Karl White added 12. Elliott Poole and Armond Williams joined the pair in double figures with 10 a piece.
