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UIC Athletics

thevalley
59
Saint Mary's (MN) SMU 2-2,0-0 MIAC
117
Winner UIC UIC 3-1,0-0 MVC
Saint Mary's (MN) SMU
2-2,0-0 MIAC
59
Final
117
UIC UIC
3-1,0-0 MVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Saint Mary's (MN) SMU 30 29 59
UIC UIC 58 59 117

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Flames Return To Win Column With 117-59 Victory Over Saint Mary's (Minn.)

UIC challenges school record for points and assists in largest win since 1986.

CHICAGO (Nov. 16, 2024) — Graduate student guard Joshua Reaves (Hamden, Conn./South Kent School/Mount St. Mary's) scored a game-high 21 points to lead four UIC players in double figures (and nine with at least eight points) as the Flames emphatically returned to their winning ways on Saturday afternoon with a 117-59 victory over Saint Mary's (Minn.) at Credit Union 1 Arena. The 117 points were the most scored by UIC in over 40 years and the margin of victory was the largest for the Flames since Dec. 1986. In addition, UIC was deadly efficient on offense with 31 assists (two off the school record) and only six turnovers, registered a near 50-40-90 shooting day (.600 FG%, .448 3FG%, .875 FT%) and posted the program's two highest-scoring halves since 2003.

Senior guard Ethan Pickett (Pensacola, Fla./Cherokee/Triton) delivered his best scoring day in a Flames' uniform with 17 points, while graduate student guard Tyem Freeman (Springfield, Mo./Hillcrest/UCF/Kent State) added 16 points and senior forward Filip Skobalj (Belgrade, Serbia/Don Bosco-Schule Rostock) made the most of his 12 minutes, scoring 14 points and connecting on 4-of-6 three-pointers. As a team, UIC (3-1) went 13-of-29 from beyond the arc, the fourth straight game the Flames have knocked down 10 or more triples. Junior guard Javon Jackson (Houston, Texas/C.E. King/Utah State), who came into the game as UIC's leading scorer, turned facilitator on Saturday, dishing out a career-high 10 assists without a turnover in less than 20 minutes of court time.

The full box score and play-by-play recap from Saturday's win over Saint Mary's can be found here.

COACH'S COMMENTS

SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • UIC's 117 points were third-most in school history and most since Nov. 29, 1983, when the Flames posted a record-setting 120-76 home win over Chadron State. The only other higher-scoring game than today was a 119-58 victory over Niles to open the 1977-78 season (before UIC moved up to the NCAA Division I level).
  • UIC posted its first 100-point game in regulation since Feb. 8, 2018 (100-75 at home over Youngstown State).
  • The 58-point margin of victory was the Flames' second-largest of their Division I era and largest since Dec. 2, 1986, when they downed visiting Lake Forest, 115-53.
  • UIC scored 58 points in the first half and 59 points in the second half, its highest-scoring halves since Jan. 9, 2003, when the Flames tallied 61 points in the second half of a 102-92 win over Milwaukee at Credit Union 1 Arena.
  • UIC's 31 assists were the most for the Flames in a game since Dec. 9, 1987, when they also had 31 dimes in a 108-86 win at home over Northeastern Illinois. 
  • The Flames posted their fourth consecutive game with 10+ three-pointers, the first time that's happened since Jan. 4-19, 2019, when they reeled off five in a row with double-digit treys.
  • UIC shot 60 percent from the field for the first time since March 3, 2020, when it reached the mark (.600; 39-65) in a 93-59 Horizon League Tournament opening-round win over IUPUI (now IU Indianapolis).
  • UIC (.600 FG%, .448 3FG%, .875 FT%) was one missed free throw shy of posting its first 50-40-90 team shooting game since Feb. 28, 2006 vs. Wright State (.500 FG%, .438 3FG%, .966 FT%).
  • UIC's 45 made field goals are the most for the Flames in a game since at least the 2000-01 season (further research pending).

UP NEXT
UIC heads to Daytona Beach, Fla., next week to compete in the inaugural Boardwalk Battle from Thursday-Saturday at the Ocean Center. The Flames will open the eight-team, bracket-style tournament at 10 a.m. (CT) Thursday against defending Sun Belt Conference Tournament champion and 2024 NCAA second-round participant James Madison, with the game broadcast live on subscription-based BallerTV (ballertv.com) and free of charge on the Flames Radio Network at UICFlames.com.

FOLLOW THE FLAMES
For more information on UIC men's basketball, 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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