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UIC Athletics

thevalley
Beljan_STFRAN_111125
Chris Kohley
55
St. Francis (IL) SF 0-2
98
Winner UIC UIC 2-1,0-0 MVC
St. Francis (IL) SF
0-2
55
Final
98
UIC UIC
2-1,0-0 MVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
St. Francis (IL) SF 25 30 55
UIC UIC 45 53 98

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's Basketball Back in Win Column With 98-55 Rout of St. Francis (Ill.)

Flames shoot 65 percent from the floor and pile up 17 steals in the Homecoming victory

CHICAGO — Redshirt junior forward Ante Beljan scored a game-high 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting to lead four UIC players in double figures (two of whom challenged for triple-doubles) as the Flames returned to the win column Tuesday night with a wire-to-wire 98-55 victory over St. Francis (Ill.) before a boisterous Homecoming crowd of 2,187 fans at Credit Union 1 Arena. UIC jumped out to a 17-2 lead less than six minutes into the game and never looked back to claim the dominating win.

Junior guard Ahmad Henderson II had 16 points (including 4-of-5 three-pointers) and game highs of eight assists and five steals, while junior guard/forward Mekhi Lowery added 11 points, a game-high nine rebounds and a career-best seven assists. Freshman guard Andy Johnson added a season-high 16 points of his own, connecting on 7-of-9 shots, including both three-point attempts.

As a team, UIC (2-1) shot a sizzling 65.1 percent from the floor (its best since 2005) and 66.7 percent from three-point range (best since 2011), assisting on 29 of their 41 field goals and fueled by a second-half barrage that saw the Flames shoot .697 from the field and make all four of their three-point tries. UIC was equally prolific at the defensive end, coming up with 17 steals, the most for a Flames' squad in nearly 11 years.

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


COACH'S COMMENTS


SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • UIC's 17 steals were the most for the Flames in a single game since Dec. 30, 2014, when they also had 17 thefts in a win over Judson at Credit Union 1 Arena.
  • The Flames' .651 field-goal percentage was its best since Jan. 29, 2005, when they connected at a .667 clip from the floor (30-of-45) vs. Butler.
  • UIC's .667 three-point percentage was its best since Nov. 23, 2011, when the Flames shot .692 from beyond the arc (9-of-13) in a win over Evansville at Credit Union 1 Arena.
  • The Flames held St. Francis to 18 rebounds, the fewest by a UIC opponent since Jan. 7, 2025, when Missouri State only grabbed 17 boards in an 80-63 UIC victory.
  • Beljan's 22 points marked his fifth career 20-point game and first in a Flames' uniform.
  • For the third time in as many games in his college career, Johnson posted a season-high scoring total, finishing Tuesday's outing with 16 points.
  • Redshirt freshman guard Carlos Harris III made his college debut on Tuesday, collecting four points and three assists in 13 minutes.


UP NEXT: CHICAGO STATE
UIC makes its shortest road trip of the season on Saturday, traveling 14 miles south to take on Chicago State in the inaugural Chicago Crosstown Challenge (aka "The Battle of the Dan Ryan"), a 1 p.m. (CT) matchup at the Jones Convocation Center. Tickets are only $5 each and parking is free. If you can't make it to the game, it will be televised live on NEC Front Row and live stats are available 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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