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thevalley
Javon_Jackson_USF
Chris Kohley
43
St. Francis (IL) SF 0-1
91
Winner UIC UIC 1-0,0-0 MVC
St. Francis (IL) SF
0-1
43
Final
91
UIC UIC
1-0,0-0 MVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
St. Francis (IL) SF 22 21 43
UIC UIC 51 40 91

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Flames Open Season in Style with 91-43 Win over St. Francis

Four UIC players score in double figures as Flames post largest season-opening win since 1977.

CHICAGO (Nov. 4, 2024) — Junior guard Javon Jackson (Houston, Texas/C.E. King/Utah State) scored a game-high 21 points to lead four UIC players in double figures as the Flames opened their 2024-25 season and the first under new head coach Rob Ehsan with a wire-to-wire 91-43 win over St. Francis (Ill.) on Monday night at Credit Union 1 Arena.

Jackson added a career-high five steals and four assists while connecting on 8-of-12 shots, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. Sophomore guard Ahmad Henderson II (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice/Niagara) tallied 14 points and a career-best five assists, redshirt senior forward Modestas Kancleris (Kaunas, Lithuania/Varpas Gimnazija/Cal State Bakersfield) posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Sasa Ciani (Nova Gorica, Slovenia/Koder School/Xavier) chipped in career highs of 11 points and seven rebounds. As a team, the Flames (1-0) shot a blistering 57.6 percent from the floor and 47.8 percent from beyond the three-point line. UIC also dished out 26 assists and came up with 14 steals. 

The full box score and play-by-play recap from Monday's win over St. Francis can be found here.

COACH'S COMMENTS

SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • UIC posted the second-largest margin of victory in a season opener (48 points) in the program's 78-year history and largest in its 44-year NCAA Division I era (1981-82 to present). The only time the Flames won their opener by a larger margin was the 1977-78 lidlifter, when they defeated Niles, 119-58.
  • Monday was also UIC's largest margin of victory in any game since Nov. 19, 2023, when the Flames downed Aurora, 99-48, at Credit Union 1 Arena (also the last time UIC scored 90 points in a regulation game).
  • UIC allowed just 43 points, its fewest since a 70-40 win over Middle Tennessee on Nov. 24, 2023, in the opening round of the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship in Nassau, Bahamas.
  • The Flames' 91 points were the most they had scored in a season opener since Nov. 25, 1995, in a 96-79 win at Chicago State in what was the final season opener for UIC under late head coach Bob Hallberg. 
  • UIC's 14 steals were the most for the Flames since Dec. 30, 2014, when they had 17 steals in a win over Judson at Credit Union 1 Arena.
  • Javon Jackson had a career-high five steals, surpassing his previous best of four thefts on Jan. 12, 2023, at Arkansas Tech (during Jackson's lone season at Southern Nazarene University). It was also the most steals by a UIC player since Nov. 11, 2022, when CJ Jones had five against Loyola at Credit Union 1 Arena.
  • Ahmad Henderson II had a career-best five assists, one more than his previous high that he set twice before while at Niagara (most recently on March 3, 2024, against Mount St. Mary's.
  • Modestas Kancleris picked up his third career double-double and first since the 2022-23 season when he had a pair while playing for Cal State Bakersfield — 20 points/10 rebounds vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 22 in El Paso, Texas, and 15 points/10 rebounds vs. La Sierra on Nov. 29.
  • Sasa Ciani had career bests of 11 points (previous was seven, twice while playing for Xavier - most recently on Feb. 14, 2024, at Seton Hall) and seven rebounds (tied his high set on Jan. 31, 2024, vs. St. John's).
  • UIC moves to 38-40 all-time in season openers (23-21 in its Division I era), as well as 57-21 in home openers (36-8 since moving up to Division I). The Flames have won their last nine home openers, as well as four of their last six season openers.
  • The series between UIC and St. Francis is now even at 6-6, with the Flames having won the past four meetings, including both since UIC moved to Division I in 1981-82. The only other matchup in those 44 years came on Dec. 21, 2018 (a 76-55 UIC win at Credit Union 1 Arena).

UP NEXT
UIC is back home Friday for a 7 p.m. (CT) matchup against Yale at Credit Union 1 Arena. The game will be the start of Homecoming Week on the UIC campus, featuring a pregame tailgate for Flames fans from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Friday in Lot 1A across from the arena. Friday's game with the Bulldogs, who won last year's Ivy League Tournament title and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, will be televised live on ESPN+ and broadcast free of charge worldwide on the Flames Radio Network at UICFlames.com.
 
SUPPORT YOUR FLAMES
Fans are strongly encouraged to support NIL opportunities for UIC student-athletes through contributions to The Chicago Collective.
 
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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