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Bowen fires up, Davidson goes down
SENIOR’S DUNKS LEAD CHARGE
(12/30/05)
Bowen (pictured) scored 21 of his career-high-matching 23 points in the second half, which included three dunks, in the Flames’ 76-67 non-conference win.
Bowen hit a 12-foot jumper after faking out a defender on crossover dribble, then brought the house down on back-to-back slam dunks off consecutive UIC steals as he scored six points in 25 seconds to ignite an 11-0 run to ignite the Flames in the second half.
“I love to dunk,” said Bowen (pictured). “It excites me, it excites the crowd. We like to give the fans something to cheer about.”
Bowen’s second dunk put the Flames up 39-38 and forced Davidson to call a timeout and as Bowen returned to the Flames’ bench, he was greeting by a pumped-up UIC coach Jimmy Collins.
It was a spurt that brought UIC back from a 38-33 deficit and gave them a 44-38 lead with 13:49 to play as sophomore guard Robert Bush finished the run with a three-pointer.
Bowen picked up two fouls in the first four minutes of the game and sat for the majority of the first half, but the Flames (7-5) picked him up by grabbing a 28-27 lead at intermission.
“I got into early foul trouble, which made me a little angry” Bowen said. “So I had a lot of energy stored for the second half. I wanted to leave it all on the court. My teammates did a great job of executing in the first half, and I was eager to get out there and help them.”
It was Bowen’s second 20-point second half this month. He poured in 20 of his 22 points in UIC’s 71-62 win at Northwestern on Dec. 14.
“Don’t let him get runout dunks,” quipped McKillop (pictured). “Those dunks were a catalyst for his second-half work. He’s also kind of an old-school guy – he’s got a short-range game. Not many guys are used to guarding that anymore.”
Davidson (7-4), which has victories over Missouri, St. Joseph’s and Massachusetts, fell behind 55-48 as UIC’s Othyus Jeffers scored on a short pull-up jumper from the baseline with 11:31 to go.
However, the Wildcats did not go away. Barrington native Jason Richards, a sophomore for the Wildcats, tied the game at 57-57 on a three-pointer with 9:29 left.
Davidson grabbed a 61-60 lead with 5:33 remaining on Ian Johnson’s 8-foot turnaround jumper. Johnson added a free throw for a 62-60 advantage with 3:37 to go. He missed his second try and the Flames’ Jovan Stefanov was fouled on the rebound. Stefanov made both of his foul shots for a 62-62 tie.
A critical moment came moments later as Stefanov attempted a three-pointer that clanked high off the rim. Bowen chased down the long rebound and was fouled. Bowen converted two free throws for a 64-62 UIC lead with 2:37 remaining.
White stole the ball on Davidson’s next possession and went coast-to-coast for a game-clinching layup with 28.1 seconds left.
Bowen and Josh Mayo each made a pair of free throws in the last 17 seconds for the final margin.
Bowen scored in double digits for the 12 straight time, shooting 9-of-14 from the field after taking just two shots in the first half. He also seven rebounds.
Poole had a solid game off the bench, narrowly missing a double-double with nine points and a team-high nine rebounds to go with three assists. Bush and Jeffers each scored eight points, White chipped in seven points, and Kevin Bond and Danijel Zoric added six points apiece to lead a balanced attack. Mayo contributed five points and a team-best four assists.
The Flames’ team effort really showed in their defensive intensity, getting in the face of Davidson’s shooters and slowing down an offense that averaged 86.6 points coming into Thursday’s contest.
“It was a tremendous defensive effort to hold a team to 20 points under its average,” Collins said. “I applaud these guys. We were able to get back in transition and slow them down and take them out of their rythym.
“We talked about aggression, making them dribble and not making it like target practice for them and to let them move the ball around.”
Johnson topped all scorers, tallying 24 points on 10-of-19 from the field to lead Davidson, which plays North Carolina next week. Reigning Southern Conference Player of the Year Brendan Winters was held to nine points on nine shots. The Wildcats shot just 36 percent in the first half and 41 percent overall.
[Assistant coach] Dave Donnelly did a great job of scouting Davidson,” Collins said. “I’m very happy with the way we executed. People think we go out there and just play. We’re not just a bunch of street ballers. I think we’re starting to get more polished.”
Davidson entered the game with an RPI in the top 20, and the Flames’ victory gives them a second win against teams in the top 20. Northern Illinois was in the top 5 when UIC defeated them on Dec. 17.
“This win ranks up with the best of them,” Collins said. “Davidson is a very good basketball team.”
The Flames are 13-0 all-time against the Penguins, who are picked to finish in the basement of the league. However, the last three matchups in the series were decided by six points or less.
YSU enters the game at 3-7 with their only wins coming against Slippery Rock, Duquesne and James Madison. The Penguins have been atrocious on the road since joining the Horizon League in 2001. YSU has lost 24 straight away from home and is 2-64 in road and neutral games over the last four-plus seasons.
Six-foot-four-inch junior guard Quin Humphrey has stepped up his game, averaging 18.3 points on 50 percent shooting, 8.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Junior college import Keston Roberts is averaging 14.7 points per game, while Dominique Crawford averages 10.1 points off the bench and is team’s best three-point shooter at 41 percent.
Despite their troubles, the Penguins have lost only once by more than eight points all season, thanks to a fresh outlook from new coach Jerry Slocum, who replaced John Robic during the offseason. YSU’s most recent game was a 75-67 loss at Siena on Wednesday as Humphrey and Crawford each pitched in 18 points.
After four of the last five games, Collins is optimistic about the team’s chances in the Horizon League.
“If we keep like we are right now – unselfishly,” he said. “Then teams in our league are going to really have to be prepared.”
“We’re really looking forward to the conference,” Bowen added. “Last year we didn’t have the best of seasons, so we’re out looking for some payback.”
Saturday’s YSU game will be video streamed live via the internet for free at www.horizonleague.org and will be synched with UIC’s play-by-play announcers Mike Kamin and Chris Boden. It will also be audio streamed on the internet at www.espnradio1000.com and www.uicflames.com.
and can be heard live on ESPN Radio 1000 (WMVP-AM).
The men’s game will follow the women’s game, which starts at 11:30 a.m. as part of “Family Togetherness Day. The Flames will take on Horizon League powerhouse Wisconsin-Green Bay. The women’s game is also scheduled to be streamed on the internet.
REBOUNDING EDGE ENDS: The Flames’ streak of outrebounding their foes in every game this season ended Thursday night. UIC and Davidson each had 34 total rebounds for the game.
UIC had outrebounded 12 straight foes overall dating back to last year. The last time UIC lost the battle of the boards was in the opening round of the Horizon League tournament in a 84-65 win over Cleveland State. The Vikings had a 40-37 rebounding edge. In fact, the Flames had the rebounding advantage in 17 of their last 18 regular-season contests.
FLAMES FLICKERS: Mayo was lambasted on a screen by Davidson’s Johnson in the second minute of the game. The freshman from Merrillville was shaken a bit by his fall and was replaced for a few minutes by junior D.J. Smedley. No fouled was called on the play …
Seen in the building: Dave Wills, Dick Nagy, Andrew Haring, Kyle Kickert and Kenny McReynolds. …
UIC’s RPI stands at No. 67, according to Ken Pomeroy following the game. Davidson dropped to No. 30 with the loss. Other teams of note: Northern Illinois is No. 6, Wisconsin-Milwaukee is No. 28, Syracuse is No. 40, Loyola is No. 52, and Butler is No. 74, while YSU stands at No. 327.
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Like the mythical Phoenix, UIC senior forward Justin Bowen rose from the ashes of first-half foul trouble and lifted the Flames to an impressive victory over Davidson at the UIC Pavilion on Thursday.
Wildcats coach Bob McKillop had no answers for stopping Bowen.
Bowen was again on fire in the final four minutes, scoring eight points in the Flames’ 16-5 closing flurry. He came up huge again on an inbounds play in the game’s final minute. Karl White triggered the inbounds pass from halfcourt to Elliott Poole, who hit a streaking Bowen for an emphatic dunk on a backdoor play with 42.7 seconds left, giving UIC a 70-66 lead.
UP NEXT: UIC’s conference slate begins Saturday when it ventures into Horizon League play, welcoming Youngstown State to the Pavilion for a 2 p.m. tip.