DAYTON, Ohio – A late second-half Dayton run proved to be the difference maker Tuesday (Nov. 9) evening as the UIC men's basketball team dropped a 64-54 decision to the Flyers to open the 2021-22 regular season for both programs.
 
The Flames ended the first half on a 19-2 run to take a seven-point lead into the break, and led by nine with 11:33 to play, before Dayton used a pivotal 19-0 run over 6:40 of game action to take a 10-point lead with 4:04 to play. UIC battled back with five unanswered points to pull within five with 2:54 to play, but the Flyers closed out the 10-point victory.
 
Zion Griffin scored a game-high 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting, with 14 of his 19 points coming in the first half. The Chicago native was effective from long range, connecting on 5-of-8 3-pointers. Fellow Chicagoan Damaria Franklin added 13 points in his UIC debut and Kevin Johnson chipped in 10 points and a game-high seven assists.
 
The Flames connected on 10 3-pointers in the game while limiting Dayton to just 2-for-14 (14.3%) shooting from distance. Dayton was able to control the paint with a 44-16 advantage in paint points and at the free throw line, going to the free throw line 23 times to UIC's two attempts.
 
UIC remains on the road to take on Valparaiso on Saturday, Nov. 13. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m.
 
News and Notes

• Five newcomers made their UIC debut Tuesday evening. Franklin and Johnson each earned starting nods while fellow transfers Brandon Battle and Jalen Warren came off the bench. Freshman Jace Carter made his collegiate debut in the contest, hauling in a team-leading six rebounds.
• Griffin's 17 points are a new personal best while at UIC, topping the 15 he scored against Northern Kentucky on the road last season (Jan. 29).
• UIC capitalized on Dayton turnovers, scoring 12 points off of turnovers while limiting the Flyers to just three points.
• Nearly half of UIC's field goal attempts came from beyond the arc (28-of-57), with 10 of UIC's 21 made field goals coming from 3-point range.