MURRAY, Ky. (Jan. 2, 2024) – Senior guard
Toby Okani (Orange, N.J./Cushing Academy (Mass.)) tied his season high with a game-best 20 points and added six rebounds and three blocks for UIC, but the Flames could not douse a hot-shooting Murray State squad as the Racers prevailed, 85-73 on Tuesday night in a Missouri Valley Conference matchup at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky.
Junior forward
Filip Skobalj (Belgrade, Serbia/Don Bosco-Schule Rostock) tallied 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three-point range, while senior guard
Isaiah Rivera (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo/Colorado State) registered 13 points.
The Flames shot 46.4 percent from the field, including 12-of-32 from three-point range. Murray State posted a .566 field-goal percentage (30-53), including 7-of-15 from beyond the arc.
UIC (7-7, 0-3 MVC) took a 46-45 lead on a three-pointer by sophomore guard
CJ Jones (East St. Louis, Ill./East St. Louis) 40 seconds into the second half. Murray State (5-9, 2-1) regained the lead a minute later, but the Flames remained within striking distance, as Skobalj's fourth three-pointer of the night made it 60-57 with 10:42 left.
Okani had UIC within 69-65 when he converted inside at the 6:08 mark, but the Racers put together a 9-1 run over the next three minutes to finally pull free for good.
COACH'S COMMENTS
"A big disappointment for us on the road tonight," said head coach
Luke Yaklich. "Defensively, right from the jump, there wasn't enough execution of the game plan. There was also not enough of a collective resolve in the last six minutes of the game. We fought back, got it close in a one- or two-possession game, and then it got away and now we're trying to dig out of a 10-point hole. At times, we played well offensively, but not with enough consistency on both sides of the ball to win a road game. We need to be tougher in a lot of different areas, but we're excited to get back on the court Thursday and get ready for Valpo at home."
FIRST HALF
- Both teams traded baskets on their opening possessions, with Rivera canning a left-wing three-pointer to give UIC an early 3-2 lead (19:09).
- Murray State went on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to force a Flames' timeout at the 16:13 mark.
- Skobalj buried the first of his trio of triples in the first half coming out of the timeout to cut the Racers' lead in half at 12-6 (15:56).
- Murray State stretched its lead to 10 points (largest of the half) on two occasions, the second on a jumper by Brian Moore, Jr. for a 24-14 score with 11:25 remaining.
- Skobalj drilled two more three-pointers on UIC's next two possessions in a span of 36 seconds, the second trimming the margin to 26-20 at the 10:20 juncture.
- Another trey, this one by sophomore guard Steven Clay (Milwaukee, Wis./Menomenee Falls) with 7:58 to go in the half, drew the Flames within 26-23 and led to a Murray State timeout.
- After the Racers briefly got back out to a 31-25 lead, redshirt sophomore forward Jaden Brownell (Sandy, Utah/Alta) and Rivera delivered back-to-back three-pointers to tie the score with 4:42 left.
- From there, it remained a one-possession game for the rest of the half with five ties, the last on a three-pointer from Okani with 51 seconds to go that leveled the halftime score at 43-43.
- Okani led the Flames with 12 points and five rebounds in the first half, while Skobalj added nine points and Rivera contributed eight points.
- After a slow start, UIC made 13 of its final 22 shots (.591) over the final 16 minutes of the first half, including 8-of-14 three-pointers (.571).
SECOND HALF
- Jones answered a Racer basket to start the half with his three-pointer to put the Flames in front, 46-45 during the opening minute of the frame.
- Murray State countered with a 12-4 run across the ensuing 5:43 to rebuild a two-possession lead (57-50, 13:37).
- Baskets by Okani and Jones drew UIC within 57-54 with 11:48 remaining.
- Skobalj's fourth triple of the night had the Flames challenging for the lead, down just 60-57 with 10:42 to go.
- A quick 7-0 MSU run in a two-minute span gave the Racers a double-digit lead and forced a UIC timeout (67-57, 8:06).
- The Flames responded with grit and eventually got the margin trimmed back to 69-65 on Okani's bucket in the paint with 6:08 left.
- Murray State finally pulled away with its 9-1 run over a three-minute span and UIC would get as close as nine points down the stretch before the 12-point final margin.
NOTES
- Okani posted his third 20-point game of the season and sixth of his career. It was his highest point production since Nov. 14, when he scored 20 points in UIC's win at Loyola.
- Okani finished with three blocks, the eighth time in 14 games this season he has rejected three or more shots in a game.
- For the 11th time (and third this season), Skobalj tied his career high with four three-pointers in a game. He last reached that mark on Nov. 30 at home against Illinois State on a night when he finished with a season-high 17 points.
- Jones dished out five assists on Tuesday, the ninth time this season he has registered 5+ assists in a game.
- UIC posted its fourth consecutive game with 10 or fewer turnovers, having exactly 10 on Tuesday at Murray State.
UP NEXT
UIC is back home for three of its next four MVC games, starting at 7 p.m. (CT) Saturday when the Flames play host to Valparaiso at Credit Union 1 Arena. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+, with the free live Flames Network radio broadcast and live stats 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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