Men's Basketball

Boxscore 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The University of Illinois-Chicago rebounded from a first half deficit by going on a 27-9 run in the second half to down Howard, 68-54 in a non-conference game at Burr Gymnasium.

The Bison (1-4) led 34-30 at the intermission on Eugene Myatt's 13 points and a 54 percent (14 of 26) shooting performance.

The Flames (3-1) employed a 1-2-1-1 full-court press that unraveled Howard and created 12 turnovers that resulted in easy baskets at the other end.  It was especially effective as the Bison played with only eight players in uniform and were missing both of their point guards, Chris McHenry (sprained finger) and Calvin Thompson (injured shoulder). Robo Kreps (10 points) and Scott Vandermeer (9 points) did most of the damage for UIC by combining for 19 points in the second half.

"It was a soft press and without our lead guards, we became hesitant," explained Howard Coach Gil Jackson.  "It gave UIC some confidence.  You need guards to help you break pressure."

The Bison did not help their cause as they missed 17 of the 24 shots they attempted in the second half.  UIC padded its lead with some deft free throw shooting, connecting on 12 of 14 from the charity stripe in the final 20 minutes.

"They kept doing what they do best," said Jackson.  "Their big men finished well for them.  We also missed a lot of shots tonight."

Myatt led all scorers with 19 points and Curtis White came off the bench to contribute 11.

The Flames were led by Kreps and Vandermeer, who each tallied 13 and Josh Mayo who contributed 12.

NEXT UP: UIC hosts Central Michigan on Saturday at 7 pm while the Bison will try to snap their four-game skid when they entertain Canisius on Monday at 7 pm.