Fun, fun, fun for winning Flames

Before this season began, Jimmy Collins wrote down a two-digit number and hid it away in his closet.

While he will happily tell anyone what the number represents -- the wins he expects his Illinois-Chicago squad to deliver this season -- only his players know the actual number.

Considering the Horizon League coaches predicted the Flames to finish eighth, and one writer in the Midwest said UIC would be lucky to get 10 wins, surely they've reached that magic number by now.

"Nope," Collins said with a smile. "We're not quite there yet."

Not even after going on a ferocious second-half run Monday night to crush Valparaiso 77-53 at the UIC Pavilion.

The Flames (14-10, 8-5) went on a 22-3 run early in the second half to pull within 1 game of second-place Wright State in the fight for a bye into the Horizon League semifinals.

"I think we're coming together at the appropriate time and I think we're playing really, really well," Collins said. "We're having fun in practice and we're having fun in games. This is supposed to be a game of fun and we're having fun. That speaks volumes for the way we're playing."

So does the Flames' shooting.

UIC hit its first six 3-pointers in the second half -- and 9 of their first 10 shots overall -- to turn a 2-point lead into the Crusaders' widest loss this season to a school not named North Carolina.

Valpo coach Homer Drew cited a campus-wide flu epidemic as one reason for his team's sluggish second-half play, but not the primary reason.

"They shot the ball exceedingly well from the 3-point line," Drew said. "And they really deserved to win the basketball game."

UIC guard Josh Mayo, who entered the night as the nation's most accurate 3-point shooter among those who hit at least 2 per game, nailed 3 of those 3-pointers during the second-half run and fed running mate Spencer Stewart for the other three 3-pointers.

Mayo finished with 18 points, shooting 4-for-8 on 3-point attempts, while 7-footer Scott VanderMeer controlled the middle with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks.

But their consistent work has been amplified by Stewart's return.

Though the sophomore point guard wears padding to protect the left hand he broke in December, an injury that kept him out of the lineup for six games, the Flames can't play without him.

UIC has won its last 10 games with Stewart, who had 11 points and 6 assists Monday, in the starting lineup.

"When he's out there, our motor runs smooth," Collins said. "When he's not there, it's like having a Cadillac with no steering wheel. We don't know where the heck we're going."