Flames’ senior citizens lead charge

KREPS, PAUL CARTER COMBINE FOR 51 POINTS

November 22, 2010

Whoosh! photo UIC senior forward Brad Birton had six rebounds and five assists while playing sound defense on Rhode Island’s Delroy James.

UIC has quite the dynamic duo forming as the senior co-captains took the Flames on a ride to a signature victory.

Robo Kreps scored 27 points and Paul Carter added 24 points as UIC defeated Rhode Island in the last of a three-game, three-day stretch in Toledo, Ohio in the 2K Sports Classic.

The Flames (3-2) went 2-1 over the weekend and capped their stay with a victory over the Rams, who were in the semifinals of the NIT last season.

“This is a great win not only for our team, but our program,” UIC head coach Howard Moore said. “We’ve got a great group of kids that are willing to do what they are asked to do, and that is to play winning basketball. I told the guys before the game that this would be a ‘program win’ for us; wins like these help turn a program around.”

Kreps also finished with a game-high eight rebounds and five assists while shooting 8-for-12 from the field, 4-for-6 from the three-point arc and 7-for-8 from the foul line. Carter shot 11-for-18 from the field and grabbed six rebounds.

Kreps was named the MVP of the Toledo Subregional after averaging 24.3 points over the weekend.

“I kept asking Robo if he was OK to stay in the game today, because he logged a lot of minutes this weekend,” Moore said. “He kept saying, ‘Coach, I’m fine, don’t worry about me.’ That’s the type of leader he is. The bottom line is that Robo wants to be great. He’s a tremendous kid, and he did some pretty special things to help his team enjoy some success this weekend.”

Carter was also named to the all-tournament team after averaging 18.3 points and 7.0 rebounds in three-game stretch.

“Paul was great this weekend,” Moore said. “I challenge him every single day in practice, and he’s responded. The biggest thing with Paul is that he is starting to accept the role that we need him to play. That’s being a leader, a defensive presence, a rebounder and a defender.”

Kreps scored 10 points in the first half to lead the Flames, who shot 29 percent from the field in the opening period and trailed 26-22.

Kreps stepped up his game even more in the second half and got a big hand from Paul Carter, who scored just three first-half points.

Paul Carter tallied 21 of his career-high-tying 24 after halftime and answered just about every clutch basket from the Rams.

The Rams (3-2), whose only other loss was at Pittsburgh, led by as many as seven early in the second half and grabbed a 35-29 lead after short jumper by center Will Martell.

Kreps and Birton each had a basket during a 9-0 run, which was capped by layup from senior center Darrin Williams with 15:10 left, for a 38-35 UIC advantage.

The Flames pushed their lead to as much as eight before Rhode Island crawled back into game.

Daniel West nailed a three-pointer with 5:15 left as the Rams tied the game at 58-58. Kreps answered with a layup to give UIC the lead back.

After Nikola Malesevic knocked down a three to close the score to 60-59, Kreps fed Williams for a layup and then hit a 15-foot jumper for a five-point lead with 1:38 remaining. After Marquis Jones missed a three-pointer, Kreps came down and fed Paul Carter for a layup for a 66-59 lead with 1:19 to go.

With the Flames nursing a five-point lead, Kreps drove the baseline and fired a pass to Paul Carter on the left wing. Carter calmly fired and buried a three-point dagger with 42 seconds left as UIC took a 69-61 lead, effectively sealing the win.

UIC shot an incredible 20-for-28 (71 percent) in the second half, raising its shooting percentage to 50 percent for the game.

Jones led Rhode Island with 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting and Delroy James, who averages 19.0 points and 6.6 rebounds, was held to 16 points and three rebounds.

James was frustrated by foul trouble and harassed by UIC senior forward Brad Birton, who shadowed the 6-foot-8, 220-pound bruiser all the way.

“It was [assistant coach] Mike Mennenga’s idea to put Brad on James,” Moore said.

Birton had another solid game, grabbing six rebounds and handing out five assists to go with three points and his stout defensive effort.

Williams barely missed a double-double with nine points and a team-high nine rebounds as he helped the Flames to a 41-30 advantage on the boards.

UIC returns home for a four-game homestand, which includes games with Central Michigan, Toledo, Valparaiso and Akron.

Whoosh! photo Flame of the Game: Senior guard Robo Kreps gets the nod for the third straight game as he poured in a season-best 27 points on 8-for-12 from the field. The senior guard had a game-high-tying five assists, including three in the final three minutes. He also snared a season-high eight rebounds and played 39 minutes.

FLAMES FLICKERS: Junior guard Daniel Barnes slipped and looked like he aggravated his knee while playing defense on the perimeter with 11:40 left in the game. Barnes, who was called for a foul on the play, was carried off the floor to the bench area. …

Kreps surpassed the 1,200 career points mark with his effort and now sits 1,205, 28 behind Nate Chambers (1984-88) for 13th all-time at UIC.

UIC had not played a stretch of three games in three days since the 2003-04 season when the Flames played UC-Irvine, Oakland and Mercer Nov. 15-17, 2003. The Flames have played in Alaska (2005-06) and the Virgin Islands (2007-08) since then, but those were three-game, four-day tournaments.

UIC outscored Rhode Island 13-3 on second-chance points and 14-9 on the fast break.

AT THE BUZZER: This could be the win that gets the Flames on a serious roll. With a four-game homestand ahead, there’s quite an opportunity to gain momentum. Kreps and Paul Carter are developing into a nice 1-2 punch. Moore seems like he found his main rotation over the weekend. Not enough credit is being given to Birton, whose efforts on the defensive end, rebounding and passing the ball are really helping UIC’s cause.