NASHVILLE, TENN. – The UIC men's basketball team rounded out it's two-game road trip Saturday, as it competed in an afternoon matinee against Belmont. Short-handed without the services of Jace Carter, Steven Clay, and Tre Anderson, the Flames could not keep up offensively with the Bruins, who shot over 57 percent for the game.
 
FIRST HALF

• The Bruins jumped out to an early 9-2 lead forcing a UIC timeout before the under-16 media timeout, but the Flames responded well, with two Jaden Brownell three-pointers to cut the deficit to 12-9 by the 15:06 mark.
• Reigning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week Ben Sheppard was tough to slow down early on for the Bruins, netting 13 points in the first 10 minutes of the game.
• Jaden Brownell set a new career-high in scoring in the first half alone, netting 11 points in the first 20 minutes.
• Belmont shot 8-14 in the first half, allowing them to carry a 51-37 lead into the locker room at the break.

 
SECOND HALF

• The Flames had difficulty running the Bruins off the three-point line, allowing Belmont to make two of it's first four attempts behind the arc in the second half.
• A Filip Skobalj three-pointer at the 13:30 mark stopped a 7-0 Bruins run, cutting the Belmont lead from 20 (it's largest of the game at the time) to 17.
• The Bruins offense proved just too potent for the Flames Saturday, as Belmont averaged  1.36 points per possession.
• Jalen Jackson and Jaden Brownell both went on to set new career-highs in points, with 21 and 12 respectively.
• Belmont would go on to score the most points allowed by UIC this season, winning the game by a final score of 98-71

 
UP NEXT

The Flames will return home to Credit Union 1 Arena for the first time since Feb. 4 next week, as they welcome Indiana State to Chicago for a Wednesday night showdown. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., and the first 1,000 fans will receive an XFINITY Jersey Tank Top.