Western Illinois 70, Illinois-Chicago 54
Illinois-Chicago's eight-game winning streak ended Tuesday, as Terell Parks scored a game-high 19 points to lead Western Illinois to a 70-54 non-conference victory at Western Hall in Macomb, Ill.
The Flames (9-2) wilted in second half. The Leathernecks (8-3) also ended Illinois-Chicago's nine-game series winning streak.
Parks collected a game-high 11 rebounds, and Ceola Clark scored 14 points and Jack Houpt added 12 points for Western Illinois. Joey Miller had 15 points off the bench for the Flames, who received 14 points from Josh Crittle.
Illinois-Chicago led 10-1 as Crittle scored six early points, and the Flames maintained a lead through the balance of the half even as Western Illinois slowly chipped away.
The Leathernecks trailed 27-25 at halftime but blitzed the Flames 23-7 in the opening 10:11 of the second half. That stretch, which included 12 unanswered points, gave Western Illinois a 48-34 lead.
The Flames got no closer than nine points the rest of the way.
Tuesday's game featured two of the nation's top defensive teams. Western Illinois entered the game fourth in scoring defense (51.1 points per game), while UIC was fifth (51.6 points).
Illinois-Chicago resumes a three-game road trip Saturday at Miami (Ohio). Western Illinois, off to its best start since 1994-95, plays host to Oakland on Dec. 27.
