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UIC Athletics

thevalley
Northern Iowa Athletics
59
UIC UIC 8-8,1-4 MVC
67
Winner UNI UNI 8-8,2-3 MVC
UIC UIC
8-8,1-4 MVC
59
Final
67
UNI UNI
8-8,2-3 MVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UIC UIC 32 27 59
UNI UNI 35 32 67

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Drops MVC Decision at Northern Iowa, 67-59

Flames return home for three of their next four games, starting at 1 p.m. (CT) Saturday against Bradley.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (Jan. 10, 2024) – Sophomore guard Steven Clay (Milwaukee, Wis./Menomenee Falls) came off the bench to score a team-high 13 points for UIC, but Northern Iowa did just enough in the closing minutes to turn back a determined Flames squad, 67-59 on Wednesday night in Missouri Valley Conference action at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
 
Redshirt sophomore forward Jaden Brownell (Sandy, Utah/Alta) and sophomore guard CJ Jones (East St. Louis, Ill./East St. Louis) each added nine points for UIC (8-8, 1-4 MVC), which shot 46.2 percent from the floor. The Flames also finished with a 30-25 rebounding edge for the night.

COACH'S COMMENTS


 
FIRST HALF
  • After UNI scored the game's first six points, UIC got on the board when junior forward Filip Skobalj (Belgrade, Serbia/Don Bosco-Schule Rostock) connected on a three-pointer at the 17:29 mark.
  • The teams traded baskets for the next five minutes, with the Flames getting scores from Jones, Brownell and senior guard Isaiah Rivera (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo/Colorado State), the last closing the margin to 12-9 UNI with 13:28 left in the first half.
  • Brownell brought UIC even closer with a three-pointer that made it 16-14 just before midway through the period (10:31).
  • Clay scored five of his game-high eight points in the first half in a 29-second span, including a three-pointer that gave the Flames a 22-21 lead with 7:08 to go.
  • UNI scored six of the next eight points, but graduate student guard Marquise Kennedy (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice/Loyola) answered with a jumper on the right baseline, followed by a right-wing three-pointer from junior guard Ethan Pickett (Pensacola, Fla./Cherokee/Triton) that put UIC back in front, 29-27 and forced a Panther timeout at the 2:26 juncture.
  • The lead traded hands three more times in the final two minutes, with Jones once again propelling the Flames to a 32-31 lead on a three-pointer with 1:26 left before UNI scored the final four points of the period.
 
SECOND HALF
  • Rivera got the Flames going to start the second half with a layup that pulled UIC within 35-34 just 29 seconds into the period.
  • UNI scored a pair of baskets, but Skobalj responded with a three-pointer and then senior guard Toby Okani (Orange, N.J./Cushing Academy (Mass.)) converted a layup to tie the score at 39-39 with 17:35 remaining.
  • The Panthers tallied the next three points, but Brownell followed with consecutive baskets to give UIC a 43-42 lead at the 13:32 mark.
  • UNI put together a quick 7-0 run over the next 71 seconds to retake the lead at 49-43 and lead to a Flames' timeout.
  • UIC came out sharp from the timeout with a layup from Jones and a three-pointer in the right corner by Clay that got the Flames within 49-48 with 10:42 left.
  • Northern Iowa stretched its lead back to six, but Kennedy countered with an old-fashioned three-point play to make it 54-51 UNI at the 9:10 mark.
  • The Flames trimmed their deficit to 57-55 when Clay made two foul shots with 7:03 to play.
  • UNI scored the next four points to push the margin back to six points at the 5:27 juncture.
  • UIC twice got as close as four points in the final minutes, the second on Jones' layup with 46.8 seconds to go.
  • However, the Panthers made four free throws, sandwiched around a missed Flames' three-pointer, to close the game out.
 
NOTES
  • Clay scored in double figures for the fifth time this season (sixth of his career) and posted his second-highest point total of the year. He scored a career-high 18 points on Nov. 24 against Middle Tennessee at the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship in the Bahamas.
  • Clay made three three-pointers, one off his career high of four against Little Rock on Nov. 10.
  • Kennedy made his first start in a UIC uniform on Wednesday night and played a season-high 24 minutes.
  • For the third time, Okani tied his season high with four assists, matching a total he most recently attained on Dec. 16 in a win over Western Michigan at Credit Union 1 Arena.
  • UIC attempted a season-low three free throws, half of their previous season low against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 24. The Flames made also tied their season low with three made free throws, which also occurred in that Middle Tennessee game.
  • UIC was making its first visit to UNI's McLeod Center since March 23, 2013.
  • This marked the sixth single-digit result in the last nine series games between UIC and Northern Iowa, with each school winning three of those close matchups. Overall, UNI leads the series with the Flames by a slim 13-11 margin.
 
UP NEXT
UIC will play three of its next four games at home, beginning at 1 p.m. (CT) Saturday when the Flames play host to Bradley at Credit Union 1 Arena. The game will be televised live on the Missouri Valley Conference TV package, which includes NBC Sports Chicago, Bally Sports Midwest, Bally Sports Indiana, Bally Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports South (Alabama/Georgia/Kentucky/Mississippi/North Carolina/South Carolina/Tennessee) and ESPN+ via the ESPN App. The free live Flames Network radio broadcast and live stats will both available at UICFlames.com.
 
Tickets for all UIC basketball home games can be purchased online through Ticketmaster and UICFlames.com/Tickets, as well as through the UIC Athletics Ticket Office (312-413-UIC1) or by visiting the Credit Union 1 Arena box office on game night.
 
For more information, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_MBB and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_mbb and @uicflames).
 
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