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thevalley
Chris Kohley
107
Winner Drake DRA 24-6,15-4 MVC
105
UIC UIC 11-19,4-15 MVC
Winner
Drake DRA
24-6,15-4 MVC
107
Final
105
UIC UIC
11-19,4-15 MVC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 OT 2 OT 3 F
Drake DRA 38 45 9 8 7 107
UIC UIC 44 39 9 8 5 105

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Falls In 3OT Heartbreaker to Drake, 107-105

Flames play just the third triple-overtime game in program history

CHICAGO (Feb. 28, 2024) – Playing on Senior Night before a boisterous Credit Union 1 Arena crowd, senior guard Toby Okani (Orange, N.J./Cushing Academy (Mass.)) scored a career-high 31 points to lead four UIC players in double figures, but the Flames came up just one play short in a 107-105 triple-overtime loss to Drake in Missouri Valley Conference action on Wednesday night.
 
UIC (11-19. 4-15 MVC) forced overtime when sophomore guard CJ Jones (East St. Louis, Ill./East St. Louis) hit a floater in the lane with :05 remaining in regulation. After two deadlocked overtimes, the Flames had a chance in the final seconds of the third extra period to extend the game deeper into the night, but Okani's fadeaway from the left block with :02 left just missed and tip-in tries by redshirt sophomore forward Jaden Brownell (Sandy, Utah/Alta) and junior forward Filip Skobalj (Belgrade, Serbia/Don Bosco-Schule Rostock) didn't find the mark as the horn sounded.
 
It was just the third triple-overtime game in the 77-year history of UIC basketball and first since Feb. 10, 2013 (an 88-83 win at Youngstown State). The 212 combined points are also 10th-most in a single MVC game and most since March 1, 2008, when Creighton edged Bradley, 111-110 in two overtimes.
 
Senior guard Isaiah Rivera (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo/Colorado State) posted his first career double-double for UIC with 19 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, while Jones registered his second career double-double with 16 points and a career-high 14 assists. Skobalj rounded out the double-digit scoring quartet for the Flames with 18 points on a career-high 6-of-11 three-pointers.
 
UIC connected on 16-of-35 three-pointers (.457) in Wednesday's marathon, finishing one triple shy of the school record that has been set three times (most recently on Jan. 12, 2019 against Cleveland State).
 
COACH'S COMMENTS
"We had an unbelievable spirit, resolve and competitiveness. Our preparation was really good and I thought we embodied our motto of being tough together," said head coach Luke Yaklich. "We played a really good 'team' game tonight and you hurt because, while you're really happy for the incredible effort that we gave for 55 minutes, we came up a play short probably about 30 times tonight. It doesn't negate just the fight, the spirit we played with tonight. It was a great environment and proud of our guys for everything they put forth tonight in preparing for the game and throughout the 55 minutes — from the guys on the bench to those on the floor, we were a very connected group."
 
FIRST HALF
  • After an early Drake basket, Okani answered with the Flames' first score on a three-pointer from the left side at 19:08.
  • Skobalj followed with three consecutive three-pointers in a span of 2:52 and UIC was on top, 12-8 with 15:18 remaining.
  • Drake crept back within two, but the Flames then scored five in a row, taking a 19-12 lead on Okani's second triple of the half with 13:03 to go.
  • The two sides then largely traded baskets for the next four minutes before a pair of free throws by Brownell stretched the UIC lead to 30-22 (9:24).
  • The Bulldogs twice got the margin to four points, but another five-point spurt by UIC, capped by Okani's third trey, to take the Flames' largest lead of the period at 38-29 (5:22).
  • That would be the first of four nine-point leads for the Flames in the first half, the last of which came on a driving layup by Jones that made it 44-35 with 2:07 left.
  • Drake hit its own three-pointer with 1:31 remaining and neither side scored for the rest of the half.
  • Okani scored a team-high 13 points and Skobalj added nine points in the first half for the Flames, who shot 46.7 percent from the three-point line (7-of-15) in the opening 20 minutes.
 
SECOND HALF
  • Drake scored the first five points of the second half to trim the UIC lead to 44-43 just 50 seconds into the period.
  • Skobalj stifled the Bulldogs' run with a three-pointer from the right side on the Flames' next possession (18:54).
  • UIC would stretch its lead out to five points three times in the next three minutes, the last at 54-49 on Jones' two foul shots at the 15:56 mark.
  • Drake countered with six in a row and took its first lead since the opening four minutes of the game at 55-54 with 14:15 to play.
  • That didn't last long, as junior guard Ethan Pickett (Pensacola, Fla./Cherokee/Triton) converted a tough layup in traffic 20 seconds later, igniting a 9-0 run Flames' run that included five points from Okani and culminated with an acrobatic layup by Jones that made it 63-55 with 12:03 left.
  • UIC rebuilt its largest lead of the night at 66-57 when sophomore guard Steven Clay (Milwaukee, Wis./Menomenee Falls) canned a three-pointer at the 11:31 mark.
  • Clay later added a reverse layup to again make it a nine-point margin with 10:15 to go (68-59).
  • A big three-pointer by Rivera at the nine-minute mark put the Flames on top, 71-63.
  • Jones delivered a teardrop in the lane with 6:07 left and UIC led, 73-67.
  • Drake rallied with a 12-3 run and took a 79-76 lead with 2:09 to go.
  • Again, UIC was up to the challenge, as Okani confidently buried a tying three-pointer from the right wing 12 seconds later to make it 79-79.
  • A Bulldog three was countered by two Okani free throws and it was 82-81 Drake with 1:17 left.
  • Both teams came up empty on their next possession before Drake went to the line with :15 remaining, but the Bulldogs could only split their two charities.
  • That set the stage for Jones' game-tying heroics, as the second-year point guard drove the lane and dropped in a runner with :05 to play and UIC successfully defended Drake's last shot attempt, which missed everything.
 
FIRST OVERTIME
  • The Flames drew first blood in overtime as Skobalj connected on a three-pointer at the 3:29 mark (86-83 UIC).
  • After Drake tied it on a three-point play, Okani hit two free throws to give UIC the lead again (2:47) and Skobalj followed that with his sixth three-pointer of the night 35 seconds later to give the Flames a 91-86 lead.
  • Drake then scored six in a row, the last after missing the second of two free throws, but getting a three-point play on an offensive putback to make it 92-91, Bulldogs with :32 remaining.
  • Rivera drew a foul on UIC's next possession and earned two free throws, splitting the pair with :15 to go and tying the score at 92-92.
  • Graduate student guard Marquise Kennedy (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice/Loyola) came up with a key steal on Drake's final possession, forcing a second overtime period.
 
SECOND OVERTIME
  • Wild swings of momentum characterized the second OT, with Drake scoring the first six points before UIC scored six in a row to again draw even, this time at 98-98 on Okani's hook shot in the lane with 1:38 remaining.
  • The Bulldogs again took the lead on a jumper in the lane at the 1:17 mark, but Okani was there to answer yet again, converting two foul shots with :53 to play.
  • Neither side connected on their final possessions in the period and it was off to a third bonus stanza.
 
THIRD OVERTIME
  • Drake again opened the overtime with a six-point run before Rivera got the Flames on the board with two free throws at the 2:35 mark (106-102, Drake).
  • The Bulldogs made 1-of-2 foul shots with :57 to go, but Clay kept the UIC flame flickering with a three-pointer from the right side 15 seconds later.
  • UIC then got the defensive stop it needed with :10 to go, creating an opportunity for a final winning or tying shot.
  • Okani found space on the left block, but his fadeaway jumper was just long. Brownell went high to tip in the rebound, but his attempt didn't connect, nor did another putback try from Skobalj just before the horn.
 
NOTES
  • This marked UIC's first 100-point game since Nov. 15, 2018, when the Flames posted a 100-95 overtime win against William & Mary in the Gotham Classic. It was the most points UIC has scored in a game since Feb. 4, 2017, when the Flames earned a 105-100 overtime victory at Milwaukee.
  • Wednesday represented the 48th time UIC has scored 100 points in a game in its history, including 29 times in its Division I era (1981-82 to present).
  • This was the third triple-overtime game in program history and first since Feb. 10, 2013 (an 88-83 win in three overtimes at Youngstown State). The only longer game in UIC history was a 112-106 four-overtime win over Milwaukee on Jan. 11, 2001, at Credit Union 1 Arena.
  • The 212 combined points were the 10th-most in a single MVC game and most since March 1, 2008, when Creighton edged Bradley, 111-110 in two overtimes.
  • UIC connected on a season-high 16-of-35 three-pointers (.457), the most in Yaklich's four-year tenure and one triple shy of the school record that has been set three times (most recently on Jan. 12, 2019 against Cleveland State).
  • Okani surpassed his previous career scoring high of 29 points, set on Jan. 17, 2023, at Valparaiso. Okani also made a career-high 5-of-8 three-pointers (previous high was three triples on two occasions, most recently last Saturday at Indiana State) and 10-of-11 free throws (previous high was seven made foul shots on two occasions, the last being the Jan. 2023 game at Valparaiso).
  • Rivera posted his first career double-double with 19 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Rivera's previous career rebounding high had been eight on two occasions, the last on Feb. 18 vs. Belmont.
  • Jones registered his second career double-double with 16 points and a career-high 14 assists. It was Jones' second double-double in three games (17 points/10 assists vs. Evansville on Feb. 21) and his third 10-assist game of the season, which leads all MVC players — his previous career high was 11 assists on Dec. 16 against Western Michigan.
  • Jones' 14 assists were the most by a UIC player in one game since Teyvion Kirk also had 14 assists at Valparaiso on Dec. 1, 2020.
  • Skobalj made a career-high 6-of-11 three-pointers, topping his previous career high of five against Northern Iowa on Feb. 11. It was also the most triples in a game for a UIC player since Feb. 1, 2023, when Tre Anderson made six against Illinois State.
  • With Wednesday's result, UIC is locked into the No. 11 seed for next week's MVC Tournament (Arch Madness) in St. Louis. The Flames will play their first-round tournament game at 8:30 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, March 7 at the Enterprise Center.
 
UP NEXT
UIC wraps up the 2023-24 regular season Sunday with a 1 p.m. (CT) Missouri Valley Conference game at Missouri State. ESPN+ will broadcast the game live from Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Mo., while fans can tune in to the Flames Network radio feed live and free of charge at UICFlames.com.
 
Fans wishing to join UIC at the 2024 MVC Tournament (Arch Madness) next week can purchase tickets by contacting the UIC Athletics Ticket Office (312-413-UIC1; athleticsticketing@uic.edu) during normal business hours. The tournament tips off March 7 and continues through March 10 – the official bracket, with matchups, tip times and TV coverage, will be released following the conclusion of the regular season on Sunday.
 
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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