Flames stand United, upset Illini

WILLIAMS A LATE HERO FOR UIC

December 21, 2010

Whoosh! photo Senior guard Robo Kreps scored a team-high 15 points, including four three-pointers in UIC’s 57-54 win over Illinois on Saturday.

Darrin Williams scored five points, including the go-ahead tip-in, in the final 1:12 in UIC’s 57-54 victory over No. 12 Illinois at the United Center on Saturday afternoon.

The 6-foot-9, 282-pound junior center, who finished with nine points and six rebounds, became an instant hero in arguably one of the greatest wins in Flames history.

With the Flames (5-7) trailing by a point with under 30 seconds remaining, senior guard Robo Kreps drove hard down the lane and went up with a shot that glanced off the rim, but Williams crashed the board and tipped home the winning basket with 22.9 seconds to play.

“That’s something that we’ve worked on a lot in practice, boxing out and staying hungry on the rebounds,” Williams said. “You never know when the ball is going to come off the rim, so we made an effort to stay ready.”

After a defensive stand by UIC in the final moments, Williams also hit a key free throw with 3.5 seconds left and made 3-of-4 down the stretch overall to help preserve the win.

“I've practiced a lot on free throws lately,” said Williams, who entered Saturday with a Shaq-like 42 percent success rate from the line. “Coach [Howard Moore] has been on me, and I've been putting in a lot of extra work from the free-throw line. He just told me to take my time, and to breathe at the line. I just knocked them down.”

The victory over the Illini was the first for the Flames since a 71-60 win at the Assembly Hall in Champaign on Nov. 29, 1990. It was also UIC’s first win over a ranked foe since a 73-67 overtime triumph over No. 12 Butler at the Pavilion on Jan. 10, 2007.

“I think this could really give our program a shot in the arm, especially in recruiting and with exposure,” Moore said. “It’s great for our guys; it’s always about your seniors. That’s who our team should be playing for. Obviously they’re playing for me as the head coach, but you want your seniors to have moments like this to relish and remember.”

And the Flames seniors also had a big hand in achieving the upset.

Guard Robo Kreps scored a team-high 15 points, which included three three-point baskets in a game-opening 14-5 run for the Flames.

“In the last few film sessions with Coach Moore and the other coaches, they told me I need to be more aggressive, and to keep attacking,” Kreps said. “When I’m passive, bad things start to happen out there. I knew coming out here that I needed to be a leader for my team, so I tried to attack on the offensive end.”

Senior forward Paul Carter had 12 points, six rebounds and three assists and nailed a critical three-pointer that tied the game at 51-51 with 2:51 remaining. Senior forward Brad Birton contributed a team-best nine rebounds and senior center K.C. Robbins chipped in four first-half points.

Demetri McCamey had 16 points, five rebounds and six assists for the Fighting Illini (10-2), whose seven-game winning streak was snapped. D.J. Richardson added 13 points for Illinois.

Moore, who was an assistant at Wisconsin for the previous five seasons, threw in a wrinkle that he knew might confound the Illini. A 1-3-1 zone defense helped to contain Illinois offense, limiting the Illini to 33 percent from the field and 24 percent from three-point range.

“Again, it was a good advantage for me, coaching in the Big Ten, and having some memories of how Northwestern had some success in their 1-3-1 against the Illini,” Moore said. “Paul (Carter) and I also talked about how Minnesota gave them some trouble with their 1-3-1. The guys worked hard on it, and loved it.”

UIC looked comfortable and in control for about 30 minutes in front of a pro-Illini crowd of 13,117 at the house Michael Jordan built.

The Flames led by as many as 10 points in the first half, at 18-8, after a Robbins jumper with 10:53 left in the first half. Illinois slowly climbed back into the game and ended up going into halftime in a 28-28 tie after two free throws by Richardson.

UIC came out as the aggressors to start the second half as junior guard Zavion Neely (11 points, team-high four assists) scored six points in a 10-2 spurt as the Flames opened a 38-30 advantage with 16:12 remaining.

“UIC really controlled the first five minutes of each half, which probably determined the game,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. “Each time we had to fight back. I was alarmed with that way we practiced and it caught up with us.”

The Illini took their first lead of the game at 43-41 on Richardson’s three-pointer from the left wing with 9:45 to go to help fuel a 15-2 run. Bill Cole hit a layup for a 49-41 lead with 7:29 to play.

But the Flames didn’t want the Illini to escape that easily. Kreps hit his fourth three-ball of the game to kick-start a 10-2 UIC spurt that tied the game at 51-51.

“Give credit to UIC, when we took the lead, they didn’t put their heads down,” McCamey said. “They came back battling and made some plays down the stretch and we didn’t.

After Williams’ heroics, the Illini trailed 55-54, but they had three chances to take the lead in the final 15 seconds. Richardson missed a three try off a curl and Brandon Paul missed a tip-dunk attempt. Finally, McCamey missed a three-pointer long off the rim before Mike Tisdale fouled Williams while going after the rebound with 3.5 seconds left.

Whoosh! photo Flame of the Game Senior center Darrin Williams gets the nod again with his clutch play down the stretch. His tip-in with 22.9 seconds left put the Flames ahead for good. He also made 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to help seal the victory. He finished with nine points and six rebounds for the game.

Williams and Kreps each made a free throw in the final moments for the decisive score.

“It’s obviously a huge win,” Kreps said. “I think it's a springboard for us. The coaches have been harping on us, because they know how good we can be. I think we proved tonight that we can win, no matter who it is. This just gives us more confidence, and hopefully it provides a springboard for us.”

QUOTABLE: UIC coach Howard Moore on the lasting memory of Saturday’s win: “When Robo [Kreps] is 40 years old and has a pot belly, we can sit back and talk about this over a beer. It’s going to happen, Robo. Your metabolism’s going to slow down.”

FLAMES FLICKERS: Former UIC head coach and Illini assistant coach Jimmy Collins was honored before the game for his 27 years of service to the University of Illinois system. He spent 14 seasons as head coach of the Flames and compiled 218 career wins. …

UIC shot an impressive 46 percent from the field and 47 percent from beyond the three-point arc. … The Flames also outrebounded the taller Illini 36-34. … UIC committed 21 turnovers but did force the Illini into 15 miscues. … It was UIC’s first win in the United Center in three tries. The Flames had lost to the Illini in 2003 and 2006.