UIC's Collins gets 200th victory

ATLANTA - Scott VanderMeer scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half and Josh Mayo added 11 of his 17 points in the closing minutes to lead Illinois-Chicago to a 66-60 victory over Georgia Tech on Sunday.

Coach Jimmy Collins improved his career record to 200-173 in his 13th season at UIC, becoming the first coach at the school to reach 200 career victories. He immediately credited his players for the landmark win.

"This is a tribute to the young men who play for us here at UIC," Collins said. "They do a great job of listening; they play hard and they play smart.

"It's a great win for us and a tribute to our kids. They deserved it, and this university deserves it."

Jeremy Buttell hit a 3-point basket with 42 seconds left to break a tie and give UIC a 60-57 lead, helping the Flames (6-2) to their fifth straight win.

Georgia Tech (5-2) was led by Zach Peacock with 14 points.

Gani Lawal added 11 points.

Mayo scored his 11 points in the final 5:21 of the game, including a pair of free throws with 25 seconds left for a 62-57 lead before Georgia Tech's Nick Foreman hit a 3-pointer to get within 62-60 with 14.7 seconds left.

VanderMeer, however, added 2 free throws less than two seconds later and Mayo finished the scoring with a layup at the final buzzer.

Vandermeer, only 1-for-5 in the opening half, hit on 7 of 10 field goals in the second half. Mayo, meanwhile, scored only 6 points in the opening half and had none until 5:21 remained in the game.