UIC continued its postseason run Monday with an 80-71 over George Washington in the CBI quarterfinals.
The Flames led by 17 with 8:14 remaining, but a Colonials run brought them within one possession in the final two minutes. UIC (17-18, 7-11 Horizon) took care of the ball and made its free throws in the closing seconds, and that along with a few missed opportunities by George Washington (20-15, 10-8 A10) allowed the Flames to escape at home.
With the victory, UIC advances to the CBI semifinals, where it will play at Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers (18-17, 10-8 Sun Belt) erased a 16-point deficit in their quarterfinal game Monday to beat Loyola Maryland, 72-63.
UIC freshman guard Tarkus Ferguson had a dominant first half, and still flirted with a triple-double despite cooling off after halftime. He finished with 6 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists and 3 steals for his eighth double-double of the season.
Junior forward Tai Odiase had a team-high 23 points along with 7 rebounds and 4 blocks, and four other Flames freshmen scored in double figures.
Without starting point guard Jaren Sina, George Washington freshman Jair Bolden saw an increased role. In 38 minutes, he had 5 assists and no turnovers, but he was also held scoreless on 0-of-8 shooting.
Forward Tyler Cavanaugh led the Colonials with 24 points before fouling out with 1:27 left, and guard Yuta Wantanabe had 21 points.
If UIC can advance to the CBI championship series, it could set up a potential matchup between Flames coach Steve McClain and his former program Wyoming. If the Cowboys can hold on against UMKC in the quarterfinals, they will face Utah Valley in their semifinal game
