Liberty falls in the CIT semifinals to Illinois-Chicago, 67-51, bringing their season to an end with a final record of 22-15.
Liberty jumped out to an early lead and maintained control of the game for much of the first half, leading by as much as 7. The home-standing Flames utilized some stingy defense, forcing UIC to shoot below 30% from the field and into 5 turnovers in the first 10 minutes of game action. Head Coach Steve McClain’s Flames responded, thanks primarily to their 6’9″ center Tai Odiase who sparked UIC on a 7-0 run to tie the game and eventually seize the first half lead.
Odiase is 4th in the nation in blocks and was the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, but he asserted his will on the offensive end of the floor making all 3 of his first half shots en route to a team-leading 7 points in the opening stanza.
UIC continued their solid play in the opening minutes of the 2nd half pushing their lead to double digits. Liberty went over 6 minutes midway through the 2nd period without a point as the visiting Flames pushed their lead to as many as 19 with just over 6 minutes left in the game.
Ryan Kemrite finished the final game of his Liberty career with 6 points while knocking down his Liberty program record 258th 3-pointer for his career. His 1-for-2 performance from 3 also set the program marks for single season three point percentage and career three point percentage at 45.1% and 43.0%, respectively.
Lovell Cabbil finished with 13 points, just 2 shy of 1,000 for his career. He also tied his career high with 9 rebounds, one game after setting a program record with 13 assists.
Scottie James finished with 9 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
UIC advances to the championship game of the CIT on Friday night at 7pm against the winner of Northern Colorado and Sam Houston State.
