CHICAGO – Men’s basketball pulled off a close victory against Illinois-Chicago on Saturday, topping the Flames 71-66 at the United Center.

Rich McBride had 13 points, and Shaun Pruitt had 7 points and 7 rebounds to lead the Illini (9-2).

But head coach Bruce Weber and his players agreed it wasn’t a pretty win.

“We’ve got to come out mentally prepared,” McBride said. “That’s what coach talked about in the locker room, and we still didn’t come out ready to play.”

Forward Othyus Jeffers led UIC (5-5) with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and guard Josh Mayo added 13 points and 4 assists.

“I don’t want to tell these guys that I’m proud of the way they played if we lose, but they did play hard,” UIC coach Jimmy Collins said.

Illinois jumped to an 18-7 lead in the game’s first eight minutes, but UIC’s T.J. Gray got two steals to give the Flames the momentum and cut the lead to five. Illinois fought back with three-pointers from McBride and Trent Meacham, and built a 15-point lead going into the half.

“I thought the United Center, with all the orange-waving and stuff kind of awed them a while,” Collins said of his team. “They had to get out of that and just play ball. Once they did that, I thought they competed well.”

But Weber said he would have felt better with a 20-point advantage going into the break. Jeffers scored back-to-back baskets to open the second half, and Mayo followed it with a fast-break layup. Robert Bush hit a 21-foot jump shot and in 3:13 UIC had cut the score to 37-33.

“I wasn’t going to call time out,” Weber said. “I can’t break clipboards anymore, they’ve got to start doing this.”

The Flames made it a two-point game twice more, the last time coming when Danijel Zoric made a pair of free throws with 9:11 on the clock. Illinois went on a 12-2 run over the next 4:48, to make it 61-49 with 4:33 to play.

After that the game turned into a free-throw contest. Illinois shot 24 free throws in the second half, making 14 of them – enough to hang on to a 5-point advantage and earn the win.

Illinois is now 29-6 all-time at the United Center, and 12-1 all-time against UIC.

Illinois next plays on Sunday, when Belmont comes to Champaign. Weber said the team will use the week-long finals break to rest and continue recovering from injuries and to focus on making the adjustments that will lead to success on the court.

“We’re starting over, really,” Weber said. “We’re getting guys back, figuring out rotations, there’s more competition in practice. This is huge.”

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All photos credit: Brad Vest The Daily Illini

1. Illinois’ Jamar Smith stays in from of University of Illinois at Chicago’s offense during the second half of Saturday’s game at the United Center, December 9, 2006. Smith had 8 points and 3 assists helping the Illini past UIC, 71-66.

2. Illinois’ Trent Meacham gets around UIC defense during the second half of Saturday’s game at the United Center versus the University of Illinois at Chicago, December 9, 2006. Meacham finished the game with 5 points and 5 assists helping the Illini over UIC 71-66.

3. Illinois’ Warren Carter goes up for a shot during the second half of Saturday’s game against the University of Illinois at Chicago at the United Center, December 9, 2006. Carter ended the game with 9 points and 5 rebounds helping the Illini push over UIC 71-66.

4. Illinois’ Brian Randle can’t get to the loose ball in time during second half against the University of Illinois at Chicago at the United Center Saturday, December 9, 2006. Randle who has been out the entire season due to a groin injury, had 9 points and 9 rebounds helping the Illini win, 71-66.

5. Illinois’ Brian Randle tries to coax the referees into giving the ball back to the Illini during the second half against the University of Illinois at Chicago at the United Center Saturday, December 9, 2006. Randle who has been out the entire season due to a groin injury, had 9 points and 9 rebounds helping the Illini win, 71-66.