CHICAGO — Junior guard Ahmad Henderson II came off the bench to pour in a game-high 23 points, including a career high-tying five three-pointers, pacing five UIC players in double figures as the Flames started off the 2025-26 season on a high note with a 91-71 win over Detroit Mercy on Monday night at Credit Union 1 Arena. Sophomore guard Elijah Crawford and freshman guards Rashund Washington Jr. and Andy Johnson each scored 13 points (Washington adding six rebounds and five assists), while junior guard/forward Mekhi Lowery dodged foul trouble to finish with 10 points and seven rebounds.
After spotting Detroit Mercy an early 10-point lead, UIC (1-0) clamped down on the visiting Titans, 21-6 over the final eight minutes of the first half. The Flames then methodically stretched their lead out during the second half, building the margin as high as 22 points with less than four minutes remaining. UIC found its shooting eye after an early rough patch, connecting at nearly 45 percent from the floor (56 percent in the second half), as well as 42.3 percent (11-of-26) from the three-point line and a stellar 83.3 percent (30-of-36) from the free throw stripe.
The full box score and play-by-play recap from Monday's season-opening win over Detroit Mercy can be found here.
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SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
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BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- UIC picks up its second consecutive season-opening win, the first time the Flames have started with a victory in back-to-back seasons since 2019-20 and 2020-21. UIC is 39-40 (.494) all-time in season openers, including a 24-21 (.533) mark since moving to NCAA Division I in 1981-82.
- Rob Ehsan becomes the first UIC head coach in 40 years to win his first two season openers as the Flames' skipper (the last to do so was Willie Little in 1983-84 and 1984-85).
- UIC has won its 10th consecutive home opener, a streak that began with the 2016-17 season.
- Ahmad Henderson's 23 points were a high-water mark for his UIC career (previous was 20 vs. Indiana State on Feb. 1, 2025, also at Credit Union 1 Arena), and five short of his overall career high (28 vs. Bucknell on Nov. 11, 2023, while he was playing at Niagara).
- Henderson's five three-pointers tied his overall career high that he also set in that Bucknell game in 2023.
- Elijah Crawford's 13 points were a career high and his first career double-figure scoring game (he had a season-high five points against Wyoming and Cincinnati last year as a rookie at BYU).
- UIC's 30 made free throws were the most for the Flames since Nov. 22, 2024, when they went 30-of-34Â from the line in a 96-83 win over La Salle at the Boardwalk Battle in Daytona Beach, Fla.
- The Flames' 11 three-pointers and .423 three-point percentage were their highest production from distance since Jan. 29, 2025, when they went 14-of-27 (.519) in a 93-70 win at Bradley.
- UIC captures its first win over Detroit Mercy since Feb. 27, 2020, an 84-67 Horizon League decision at Credit Union 1 Arena that came two weeks before the season abruptly ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UP NEXT: OREGON STATE
UIC hits the road for the first time this season on Friday when it travels to Corvallis, Ore., for a 9 p.m. CT (7 p.m. PT) matchup with Oregon State. The game will be televised live from Gill Coliseum on ESPN+, with live stats 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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