CHICAGO -- UIC opens up play in the Boca Raton Beach Classic on Saturday, Nov. 23, as the Flames play host to Mercer in an on-campus game. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+. Jonathan Hood and Chris Bleck will have the call of Saturday's action.
SERIES STUFF
• Saturday is the third all-time meeting between the Flames and the Bears, with UIC owning a 2-0 lead in the series.
• The two teams met back on Nov. 17, 2012 in the Paradise Jam and picked up 62-36 victory. Prior to that meeting, the two teams paired up in 2003, with UIC collecting a 75-64 decision in the Dell BCA Classic.
• Ethan Stair leads the Bears in scoring and rebounding, averaging 20.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest.
• The Bears lead their conference and rank 27th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage, connecting on 40.4% of attempts from long range this season.
SWAT IT AWAY
• Junior
Michael Diggins recorded a career-high five blocked shots against Robert Morris on Nov. 21.
• The five swatted shots mark the first game a Flame has blocked five or more shots since
Tai Odiase collected six against Saint Francis on March 3, 2018.
• Diggins ranks first in the Horizon League with nine blocks on the year.
• As a team, the Flames blocked 10 Colonial shots, two off the program-high of 12 in the
Steve McClain era.
CHARITY STRIPE LIFE
• Senior
Godwin Boahen is 1-of-20 players in Division I basketball to have not missed a free throw this season (min. 2.5 made per game).
• Through four games, Boahen is a perfect 15-for-15 from the free throw line, tied for the fourth most made free throws among players with a perfect percentage from the charity stripe.
• Boahen's career free throw percentage of .788 ranks 10th all-time in program history.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
• Against Bradley on Nov. 16, junior
Michael Diggins recorded his first-career double-double for the Flames.
• The native of Las Vegas, Nevada paced the team in scoring and rebounding against the Braves, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
• The 11 boards, nine of which came in the first half, are a career-high for Diggins, surpassing his previous high mark of seven.
