Men’s Basketball Scoreboard (Nov. 25)
UIC 74, San Diego 70 (Gulf Coast Showcase)
#3/4 Kentucky 68, Cleveland State 61 (Keightley Classic)
The UIC men’s basketball team (2-3) snapped San Diego’s five-game winning streak with a 74-70 victory in the first round of the bd Global Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Florida. Despite leading a majority of the contest, Cleveland State fell in the closing minutes to #3/4 Kentucky at Rupp Arena 68-61.
UIC 74, San Diego 70
Four Flames reached double figures as the UIC men’s basketball team snapped San Diego’s five-game winning streak with a 74-70 victory. Kelsey Barlow led the way with a career-high 17 points in the opening round of the bd Global Gulf Coast Showcase. This is his fifth-straight game with 10 or more points.
The score changed hands 12 times throughout the contest as the Flames owned a 33-31 halftime lead. They closed out the first period on a 5-0 run capped off by a Gabe Snider trey. He now touts a team-best 47.4 percent three-point shooting clip.
The game remained a back-and-forth affair to start the second half until the Toreros took over the lead at the 13:12 mark and held it for the next four-and-a-half minutes. UIC responded rattling off seven straight points to go in front 57-52 with 7:56 left to play. The Flames would keep the lead the rest of the game, converting six free throws in the final 21 seconds to cement the 74-70 final score.
UIC’s defense limited San Diego to 38.2 percent shooting mark (21-of-55) and 29.6 percent from behind the arc (8-of-27).
Sophomore Jake Wiegand notched his first collegiate double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, both career-highs. All 11 of his points came in the second half along with eight boards.
Snider also set a career-best with 11 points on 3-of-4 three-point shooting, eight of those coming in the first half. Junior Marc Brown reached double digits for the fourth time this season with 13 points, hitting 7-of-8 from the foul line.
Senior Hayden Humes chipped in eight points off the bench, including two threes and grabbed four rebounds in 19 minutes of action. Barlow pulled down a season-high seven boards as UIC out-rebounded San Diego, 40-34.
#3/4 Kentucky 68, Cleveland State 61
Cleveland State (3-3) led for a majority of the first 37 minutes before Kentucky (5-1) pulled away late for a 68-61 victory in Rupp Arena as part of the Keightley Classic.
Bryn Forbes scored a game-high 22 points for the Vikings hitting three three-pointers and all 11 of his free throws en route to his fourth 20-point game of the season.
Trey Lewis, making his first start at CSU for Charlie Lee who was injured, finished with 15 points and four assists, while Sebastian Douglas tallied 13 points and six rebounds.
The Wildcats took an early 4-2 lead, but a three-pointer by Forbes started a 15-5 run that helped CSU open up an eight point lead (17-9) seven minutes in. The Vikings held the lead for the next eight minutes before a pair of UK free throws gave the Wildcats a 23-22 lead with 6:27 left.
CSU held UK without a field goal for close to seven minutes during the span, but the Wildcats took advantage of their trips to the line to regain the lead.
UK was aided by a 27-of-35 performance at the free throw line, while CSU was 14-of-15.
The Vikings trailed by three with just under four minutes left in the half, but a Douglas steal and layup and five straight free throws from Forbes, the final three coming after he was fouled on a three-pointer, gave CSU a 31-27 halftime lead. It marked the fifth straight halftime lead for CSU this year.
A 13-6 spurt to open the second half allowed the Vikings to open up their biggest advantage of the night (44-33) with 14:17 left on a Lewis layup. Five straight from UK brought them within six, but a deep Lewis three pushed CSU's lead back to nine with 11 minutes left.
The Wildcats responded once again, scoring six straight to get back within three, but CSU answered again with a circus shot in the lane by Lewis, a Douglas three-pointer and two free throws from Forbes to extend the lead back to 10 points (54-44) with 7:41 to play.
The Wildcats scored the next 12 to regain the lead, but Forbes answered with a three-pointer as CSU went up, 57-56 with three minutes to play.
UK closed the game on a 12-4 spurt to seal the victory. Julius Randle had a double-double of 15 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Wildcats.
Tags: Cleveland State - Men's Basketball · UIC - Men's Basketball
