Final Stats: Kent State 78, UIC 60

KENT, Ohio - The UIC men's basketball team (1-3) dropped game No. 2 of the Men Against Breast Cancer Classic versus host Kent State (4-0) on Saturday night by a final of 78-60. Junior Jake Wiegand was the lone bright spot for the Flames as he recorded a game-high 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Wiegand also sank a career-high 11 field goals on 15 attempts.

The Golden Flashes were red hot from three-point range as they shot 11-of-22, including 8-of-12 from Devareaux Manley and Derek Jackson. Jackson paced Kent State with 17 points and was joined in double figures by Manley (15), Kris Brewer (14) and Jimmy Hall (10).

Wiegand's 26-point effort gives him 78 through four games this season, which is the most by a UIC player since Josh Mayo in the 2007-08 campaign. The 6-foot-8 power forward is shooting nearly 55 percent (28-of-51) from the field and more than 86 percent (19-of-22) from the foul line this season.

Fifth-year transfer Jay Harris made his Flames' debut tonight and netted 14 points, including 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Redshirt freshman Lance Whitaker also made his first appearance for UIC this season, the first game action for Whitaker since Nov. 16, 2013.

Kent State used a 14-2 run near the end of the first half to go up 37-19 and held on to its double-digit lead for the remainder of the night. The Flames tied KSU in the second half (31-31), but a 47-29 halftime advantage by the Golden Flashes was too much for UIC to overcome.

The Flames conclude action at the MABC Classic on Sunday against in-state rival Southern Illinois (1-3) with tipoff scheduled for Noon CT. UIC is 4-5 all-time versus the Salukis, however the Flames have won both neutral-site contests in the series.