Nov. 28, 2001
Chicago, Ill. - The University of Illinois at Chicago men's basketball team has opened up its season with a mark of 3-0 for the first time since the 1997-98 campaign in which they shared the conference regular-season crown and made their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
UIC will be looking to extend its winning streak to four games and make a clean sweep of Missouri Valley Conference opponents on Thursday night at 7:00 PM, as they will square off with the upstart Southern Illinois Salukis at SIU Arena.
The Flames had previously earned victories over MVC's Indiana State (70-54) on November 18th, and Evansville (64-61) on November 27th.
Sophomore forward Cedrick Banks and junior guard Jonathan Schneiderman are currently leading UIC in scoring with 10.7 points per contest, while senior Thor Solverson is shooting over 54 percent from the field and averaging 10.3 points a game.
The Salukis (4-1) are coming off a heartbreaking 75-72 defeat at the hands of #2 Illinois on November 25th. Not only will the Salukis look to rebound from that tough loss, revenge will also be on their minds.
Last season, the Flames emerged victorious with a 88-79 triumph over the Salukis at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Jon-Pierre Mitchom led five UIC players in double-figures with a game-high 18 points, while Jabari Harris posted a season-best 10 points.
Leading the way for the Salukis will be junior guard Kent Williams as he is averaging 16 points per contest. Two other Salukis average in double figures in Rolan Roberts (11.6 ppg) and Darren Brooks (10.0 ppg), while Jermaine Dearman's 6.0 rebounds are a team best.
