FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The UIC men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought battle to Purdue Fort Wayne Saturday night, falling by a 73-66 margin on the road.
 
Damaria Franklin led the Flames in scoring with 17 points while sharing the team-lead with eight rebounds. Filip Skobalj fell one point shy of matching his season high with 14 points thanks to four 3-pointers and Zion Griffin added 11 points off the bench for the Flames. Michael Diggins matched Franklin with eight rebounds while Kevin Johnson dished out a game-high six assists.
 
It was all UIC at the start, as the Flames scored the first 11 points of the game and held the 'Dons scoreless over the first 3:10 of the contest. Franklin scored the first five points on his own before Skobalj knocked down a pair of triples as the Flames took the early lead.
 
With UIC owning a 24-16 lead midway through the first half, Purdue Fort Wayne used a 9-0 run to take its first lead of the game with 5:24 remaining in the half. The teams would trade buckets down the stretch, with the 'Dons eventually taking a slim 35-33 lead into the halftime break.
 
Back-to-back buckets by Franklin and Ahale opened the second half, putting UIC back in front. Another Purdue Fort Wayne run, this time a 14-3 scoring spree, put the hosts up by its largest margin of the game at 59-50 with just over 10 minutes remaining.
 
The Flames would battle back down the stretch, with Franklin's 3-pointer with 1:45 left pulling the UIC within one at 67-66. UIC had the ball with a chance to take the lead with just over a minute left, but an alley-oop attempt went in and out before Purdue Fort Wayne hit a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession. The 'Dons scored four of the final six points at the free throw line to seal the decision in favor of Purdue Fort Wayne.
 
UIC returns home to take on IUPUI on Monday, Feb. 14. Tip-off inside Credit Union 1 Arena is set for 7 p.m.
 
News and Notes

• All six Flames who had a rebound Saturday had at least four in the contest. UIC doubled up the 'Dons on the offensive glass, 10-5.
• Diggins now sits three points away of joining the 1,000-point club, entering Monday's contest with 997 career points.
• Skobalj matched his season-high with four assists.