CHICAGO (Feb. 21, 2024) – Senior guard
Isaiah Rivera (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo/Colorado State) scored nine of his game-high 25 points on three consecutive three-pointers in a 56-second span late in the second half, sparking UIC to an 88-79 win over Evansville in Missouri Valley Conference action Wednesday night before a boisterous crowd at Credit Union 1 Arena.
Rivera's heroics helped the Flames (11-17, 4-13 MVC) close the game on a 30-16 run during the final 6:18 and pick up UIC's third win in its last five outings. Rivera also led five UIC players in double figures, paced by sophomore guard
CJ Jones (East St. Louis, Ill./East St. Louis), who delivered his first career double-double with 17 points and 10 assists.
Junior forward
Filip Skobalj (Belgrade, Serbia/Don Bosco-Schule Rostock) added 16 points and six rebounds, including a clutch tip-in with 1:25 left and the Flames leading by five. Senior guard
Toby Okani (Orange, N.J./Cushing Academy (Mass.)) contributed 12 points, five rebounds and three steals, and redshirt sophomore forward
Jaden Brownell (Sandy, Utah/Alta) came off the bench to deliver 11 points and a game-high (and career-best) seven rebounds.
As a team, UIC shot 51.9 percent from the floor, including 57.7 percent in the second half. The Flames also knocked down 9-of-19 three-pointers (.474) and converted 23-of-27 free throws (.852), including a perfect 12-of-12 from the stripe in the final 66 seconds to secure the victory.
COACH'S COMMENTS
"The ball didn't go in for us on Sunday (vs. Belmont) and it affected our mentals," said head coach
Luke Yaklich. "It didn't affect our competitive drive to prepare again and that's what I love about our group. We've got a good character in the locker room and we've got a competitive spirit. Our guys rose up to the challenge today. When you stay with it, things end up working out in your favor. Today, the ball went in 52 percent of the time and it went in for a lot of different people. We shared the ball tonight, had five guys in double figures and then I liked the way we closed the game in the last six minutes. We did a great job with our press offense getting the ball in at the end and then putting the game away (at the foul line)."
FIRST HALF
- After Evansville opened with a three-pointer, the Flames got on the board on their first possession, as Skobalj found junior guard Ethan Pickett (Pensacola, Fla./Cherokee/Triton) for a dunk off a backdoor cut along the right baseline (19:14).
- UIC drew even at 5-5 on a three-pointer by Okani at the 18:40 mark.
- Pickett scored on a transition layup with 15:17 remaining to get UIC within 10-9.
- The Purple Aces scored the next seven points to take their largest lead of the half with 13:35 to go in the period.
- The Flames came right back with a mini 6-0 run to claw back within 17-16 when Brownell split two foul shots with 11:02 left.
- Rivera leveled the score at 20-20 with a driving layup (8:42).
- UE scored four in a row, but Okani answered with his second triple of the half to make it 24-23, Evansville with 7:37 remaining.
- The Purple Aces stretched their lead back to six points on three occasions, the second at 36-30 at the 3:26 mark.
- From there, UIC clamped down on defense and didn't allow a point while forcing four Evansville turnovers during the remainder of the half.
- The Flames scored the final six points of the frame, tying the score at 36-36 on Rivera's layup with 1:18 to play — neither team would score the rest of the way.
- UIC turned in a balanced offensive effort in the first half, with six different players scoring five or more points, led by seven each from Jones and Pickett — Jones also had four assists.
SECOND HALF
- Skobalj gave UIC its first lead of the evening at 38-36 on the Flames' opening possession of the second half, cutting free to the basket for a layup with 17 seconds gone.
- There would be four ties during the next five minutes, the last coming at 45-45 on Okani's putback at the 14:31 mark.
- Rivera briefly put the Flames on top, 48-45 with a three-pointer (14:02), but Evansville answered with its own triple to draw even again 27 seconds later.
- After a UE free throw, Jones drove the lane and rose high for a powerful highlight reel dunk over his defender to put UIC on top, 50-49 and bring the crowd to its feet with 12 minutes to go.
- The lead changed hands again around the media timeout, with Skobalj giving UIC the upper hand again with a three-pointer (53-51, 11:27).
- Evansville went on a 12-5 run during the next four-plus minutes and led 63-58 after a basket with 6:40 left.
- Brownell answered with a three-pointer on UIC's next trip down the floor, followed by Rivera's backbreaking trio of triples in less than a minute, flipping the script entirely in the Flames' favor and putting the hosts on top to stay, 70-67 with 4:37 to play.
- That was also the first part of a lengthy 20-6 run across a 5:12 span down the stretch, capped by Skobalj's putback (1:25) and two foul shots (1:06) for a 78-69 UIC lead.
- The Flames then iced the victory at the free throw line by making all 12 charity tosses in the closing minute and change, including six in a row when UIC was still in the 1-and-1 bonus situation.
NOTES
- UIC improves to 8-2 all-time against Evansville, including a perfect 5-0 against the Purple Aces at Credit Union 1 Arena. Eight of the 10 games in the series have been decided by single digits, including all five matchups in Chicago.
- The Flames had five players score in double figures for the first time since Nov. 25, when they also had a quintet of 10-point scorers in a victory over George Washington in the semifinals of the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship in the Bahamas.
- UIC's 88 points were the most the Flames scored in a regulation conference game since Dec. 20, 2020 (a 90-73 win over Oakland in a Horizon League matchup at Credit Union 1 Arena). UIC did reach that total in a pair of overtime Horizon League games — a 96-89 loss at Purdue Fort Wayne on Jan. 8, 2021, and a 96-88 win at Robert Morris on Feb. 19, 2022.
- UIC's .519 field-goal percentage was its best in MVC play this year, topping its .509 mark against Northern Iowa on Feb. 11.
- Jones not only posted his first career double-double, but also his second career double-digit assist game. He had a career-high 11 helpers on Dec. 16 in a win over Western Michigan at Credit Union 1 Arena.
- Rivera logged his eighth 20-point game this season and fourth 25-point outing, with three of those four occurring in his last six games (all in the month of February).
- Not to be overlooked, Rivera tied his career high with four steals, his best since coming to UIC and best in any game since he had four thefts against Boise State on Feb. 15, 2023 (while playing at Colorado State).
- UIC finished with nine steals for the third consecutive game, one off its season high.
- Okani recorded his 56th blocked shot this year, tying for ninth on the UIC single-season list with Derrick Johnson (1987-88).
- Skobalj knocked down the 150th three-pointer of his career.
- Brownell's previous career high had been six rebounds on three occasions, the last on Jan. 27 at Belmont.
UP NEXT
UIC returns to the road Saturday when it travels to Indiana State for a 7 p.m. (CT) Missouri Valley Conference matchup. The game will be broadcast live as part of the MVC TV package, which includes NBC Sports Chicago Plus, most Bally Sports affiliates in the Midwest and ESPN+. Saturday night's game can also be heard live and free of charge on the Flames Network at
UICFlames.com.
Tickets for all remaining 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 day.
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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