Loyola gets serious but can't overtake UIC

For most of Friday night's broadcast, those who tuned into ESPNU probably stared at their screens and wondered what's so great about the UIC-Loyola rivalry.

Then Ramblers coach Jim Whitesell spent his last timeout with 5:27 to go and the Flames ruling by 13 at the Gentile Center.

While UIC's players shared a big laugh in their huddle - at least until the coaches entered their midst - Whitesell didn't exactly bring the funny in his camp.

"The thing I was really upset with our guys was, 'This is UIC, and we're just standing around looking at them,'" Whitesell said. "I'm like, 'You better get in there and compete because we're getting pushed around.' I was really surprised at our lack of aggressiveness."

That changed around in a hurry - and it almost earned Loyola a remarkable victory.

The Ramblers slashed UIC's lead down to 2 points and had the ball in transition in the waning seconds, but freshman Jordan Hicks couldn't handle a pass near the 3-point line and fumbled it to Robo Kreps.

Josh Mayo canned a pair of free throws with 1.2 seconds left to clinch UIC's 62-58 Horizon League win before 3,754 in Rogers Park.

Senior center Scott VanderMeer led the Flames with his 17th career double-double (12 points, 17 rebounds), and power forward Rob Eppinger hit all 8 of his shots for a career-high 16 points.

In winning its fifth game in the last six, UIC (15-14, 7-11) seized seventh in the Horizon.

The Flames travel to sixth-seeded Youngstown State (11-17, 7-10) on Tuesday for a first-round tournament game.

The Penguins swept UIC by a total of 18 points, but that was before Jimmy Collins' crew righted themselves.

"We needed this momentum going into the tournament," VanderMeer said. "Everybody's just playing their role like we said about two months ago when I said people need to start playing their role. People are stepping up their games for tournament time. It's a fun feeling right now."

Loyola (14-17, 6-12), which had a chance to earn a first-round home game, settled for eighth place despite strong showings by three seniors playing their final home game.

J.R. Blount had 16 points while Justin Cerasoli piled up 13 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Center Darrin Williams scored 6 of his 10 points during the late rally.

The Ramblers will travel either to Milwaukee or Wright State on Tuesday. They were swept by both during the regular season.