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UIC Athletics

thevalley
Mark Black
89
Winner Indiana St. INS 17-3,8-1 MVC
83
UIC UIC 8-12,1-8 MVC
Winner
Indiana St. INS
17-3,8-1 MVC
89
Final
83
UIC UIC
8-12,1-8 MVC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Indiana St. INS 41 48 89
UIC UIC 39 44 83

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Pushes Indiana State To Limit In 89-83 Loss

Flames back on the road for two-game MVC swing starting Saturday at Belmont.

CHICAGO (Jan. 24, 2024) – The UIC men's basketball team took Missouri Valley Conference leader Indiana State to the brink on Wednesday night, battling the Sycamores tooth and nail before ISU edged out an 89-83 victory at Credit Union 1 Arena. In a game that featured 18 lead changes and 13 ties, neither team led by more than six points the entire way, with the Flames (8-12, 1-8 MVC) having the upper hand on a number of occasions and then rallying within two points with 37 seconds left before Indiana State made four foul shots to pull out the decision.
 
Senior guard Isaiah Rivera (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo/Colorado State) scored 18 of his team-high 24 points in the second half and made a career-high five three-pointers, while sophomore guard CJ Jones (East St. Louis, Ill./East St. Louis) turned in a balanced performance with 17 points, a game-high seven assists and a career high-tying six rebounds. Junior forward Filip Skobalj (Belgrade, Serbia/Don Bosco-Schule Rostock) also scored in double figures, finishing with 10 points.
 
As a team, UIC shot 47.7 percent from the field, including 11-of-26 (.423) from three-point range. The Flames' 83 points also were their highest total in MVC play this year and their fifth 80-point game of the season (first since Dec. 16 vs. Western Michigan).
 
COACH'S COMMENTS
"We played well against a good team, but no moral victories in it," said head coach Luke Yaklich. "We played well enough to win, down one with two (minutes) to go. Give them credit – they made a couple of shots (late), made their free throws and we had a couple of hurried shots there. The bottom line today is we can't give a team 11 threes, and 89 points is too many. They're a very talented team, one of the most efficient teams in the country, but we've got to find a way to negate the three-point line two or three times to win the game. I thought we competed hard, we responded well and put ourselves in position to win, but just didn't finish it in the manner that we needed to."
 
FIRST HALF
  • Rivera knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key to get UIC on the scoreboard and tie the game at 3-3 (17:14).
  • Indiana State opened up a pair of six-point leads midway through the first half, the second at 15-9 with 12:30 remaining.
  • The Flames responded confidently with a 10-2 run, capped by a baseline drive and layup from sophomore guard Steven Clay (Milwaukee, Wis./Menomenee Falls) that put UIC in front, 19-17 at the 8:52 mark.
  • The teams traded scores for the next 90 seconds with the Flames taking a 23-21 lead on Rivera's layup with 7:34 to go.
  • ISU scored seven unanswered points to retake a five-point lead (5:55).
  • Consecutive baskets by graduate student guard Marquise Kennedy (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice/Loyola) and junior guard Ethan Pickett (Pensacola, Fla./Cherokee/Triton) drew UIC within 33-32 and led to a Sycamores' timeout (3:41).
  • UIC mounted a 7-2 run late in the half and took a 39-38 lead when Jones split a pair of free throws with 17 seconds to play.
  • A last-second three-pointer gave Indiana State a two-point halftime edge.
  • Jones led the Flames with eight points in the first half.
 
SECOND HALF
  • After Indiana State scored the first basket of the second half, UIC went on a three-point shooting spree, making four consecutive triples (two by Rivera) as part of a 14-5 run to take a 51-48 lead when senior guard Toby Okani (Orange, N.J./Cushing Academy (Mass.)) hit from deep with 17:27 to play.
  • It remained a one-possession game for both teams, as they traded the lead six times in the next four minutes before Rivera and Jones connected on jumpers in the lane to make it 61-58 Flames at the 11:56 mark.
  • The Sycamores put together a 7-1 run over the next 1:25 to take a three-point lead of their own (65-62, 10:31).
  • UIC came back again, this time with buckets from Okani and Skobalj, the second a putback for a 66-65 Flames lead with 9:30 to go.
  • The teams then traded five-point runs, with Rivera burying his fifth three-pointer of the night for a 71-70 UIC lead at the 7:31 juncture.
  • ISU scored seven of the next nine points, but Jones made two free throws and Rivera followed with a fadeaway jumper at the right elbow and the score was tied 77-77 with 4:11 left.
  • The Sycamores got consecutive baskets to make it a two-possession game, but Clay hit a big triple from the right wing to pull UIC within 81-80 with 2:19 to go.
  • Indiana State hit two foul shots at the 1:55 mark and added a basket two possessions later, but Skobalj came back with a three-pointer to make it 85-83 Indiana State with 37 seconds remaining.
  • After two ISU free throws, the Flames had a three-point attempt to draw closer, but it didn't connect and the Sycamores made two more foul shots to complete the scoring.
 
NOTES
  • UIC made at least 10 three-pointers for the ninth time this season and second consecutive game, The Flames' .423 three-point percentage was also their best in MVC play this year, topping their .421 mark against Murray State on Jan. 17. All told, UIC has shot better than 35 percent from beyond the arc in 11 games this season.
  • UIC had 10 or fewer turnovers for the eight time this season, all within the past 10 games.
  • Rivera posted his fifth career 20-point game (all this year) and finished one point off his career high (Nov. 10 vs. Little Rock).
  • Rivera's five triples were one more than his previous career high set on three occasions (most recently on Jan. 17 vs. Murray State).
  • Jones not only registered his fourth consecutive double-digit scoring game (eighth this year), but also handed out seven assists in a game for the seventh time this season.
  • Jones' six rebounds matched his career first set against Incarnate Word on Dec. 21.
  • More than half (11) of UIC's 20 games this year have been decided by 10 points or fewer, including five in conference play.
  • Okani played in his 100th career game on Wednesday, with the past 52 coming at UIC.
 
UP NEXT
UIC embarks on a two-game MVC road trip that starts at 4 p.m. (CT) Saturday when the Flames head to Nashville, Tenn., to take on Belmont at the Curb Event Center. Saturday's game will air live on ESPN+, while the free live Flames Network radio broadcast and live stats will both be 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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