Men's Basketball Final Shot: Jan. 16 - A Windy City Classic

Men’s Basketball Scoreboard (Jan. 16)
UIC 61, Loyola 59

Both entering with three-game Horizon League losing streaks, the first edition of the Windy City Rivalry had an air of desperation surrounding UIC and Loyola. With both teams scrapping and clawing for every possession, it was the host Flames that emerged with the victory, 61-59, at the Pavilion, as Gary Talton hit a runner in the lane with 1.7 seconds to play.

UIC (11-7, 2-3 Horizon) snapped its losing streak, while sending Loyola (10-7, 1-4 Horizon) to its fourth straight loss, three of which came by less than one possession. Following a series of timeouts, the Ramblers threw a three-quarter court pass to the left wing, where Ben Averkamp had a look at a game-winning three.

Fading slightly towards the bench, Averkamp’s three came up short; the hard-luck senior has missed game-tying or game-winning attempts in three of Loyola’s last four losses.

After Loyola opened the second half on a 6-0 run to take its first lead at 36-35, the lead changed hands 11 times in the final 16:56.

In what will go down as one of the classic Windy City showdowns between the two Horizon League members, UIC’s largest lead of the half would come at the very beginning, while Loyola would open up a 42-37 advantage, only to see it slip away after a 6-0 UIC run.

Tied at 48, Cully Payne would hit his first three of the game with 7:57 left, putting Loyola ahead, 51-48, before free throws from Hayden Humes and Joey Miller restored a one-point edge for UIC with 6:16 on the clock.

Devon Turk would restore Loyola’s lead at 54-52 with his lone three of the game before Talton tied the game at 54.

With 2:46 showing, Payne would get a fortunate roll, hitting the front of the rim on his three-point attempt, only to see release rotation carry the ball through the net, giving the Ramblers a 57-54 edge.

Coming down on the next possession, Talton got loose on the wing for a game-tying three, and after layups from Averkamp and Josh Crittle, the stage was set for Talton’s game-winning effort.

In front of a boisterous crowd, it was Anthony Kelley who sparked UIC to begin the game. The senior, who had not started since the first game of his freshman year, was accumulating floor burns throughout the opening minutes, eventually finishing the half with six points, three rebounds and a block.

Kelly had not started a game in three years, two months and three days between starts.

With its most efficient offense since winning two of three games at the USVI Paradise Jam, the Flames averaged 1.30 points per possession, committing just one turnover.

The Flames built a 14-point lead, 30-16, with 6:55 to go in the half, but Loyola would clamp down defensively, holding UIC to two field goals the rest of the half.

In that time, Loyola found its offensive rhythm, finishing with a 1.03 points-per-possession rate. Matt O’Leary keyed the Ramblers with points in the stretch, while Ben Averkamp had four of his 10 points. The Crusaders would draw within 32-28 before Marc Brown’s three from the right wing sent the Flames into the locker rooms up 35-30.

Talton led the Flames with 14 points, going 6-of-12 from the floor, adding four rebounds and four assists. On the game, UIC committed just three turnovers. Crittle joined Talton in double figures with 12.

Christian Thomas sparked Loyola in the second half, scoring 13 of his game-high 16 points in the final 20 minutes, including the first eight of the half. Averkamp added 14 in the losing effort.