CORVALLIS, Ore. — UIC junior guard Ahmad Henderson II scored 18 points and swiped a career-high seven steals, while redshirt freshman forward Jayce Nathaniel turned in the finest performance of his college career with 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds, but Oregon State managed to hit enough foul shots in the closing seconds and Henderson's game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer just missed as the Beavers edged the Flames, 76-73 on Friday night at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore.
Freshman guard Andy Johnson added 15 points, including a pair of late three-pointers, the second with 15 seconds left that brought UIC within a point and set up the final act in a back-and-forth drama in the Flames' road opener and a rare trip to the Pacific Northwest. Graduate student guard Sam Silverstein rounded out a quartet of Flames in double figures with 10 points.
After some early cold shooting, UIC (1-1) found itself trailing, 20-4, but the Flames responded in impressive fashion with a 17-0 run in just over three minutes, capped by another Johnson trey that put the visitors in front, 21-20 at the 9:07 mark.
From there, it was a single-digit margin the rest of the evening, with the Beavers leading by nine early in the second half and UIC counterpunching to take a five-point lead just past the middle of the period. It would stay a two-possession game on either side of the ledger all the way to the finish line in an engrossing early-season nonconference battle.
The full box score and play-by-play recap from Friday's game at Oregon State can be found here.
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SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
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BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- UIC was seeking its first win over Oregon State since 2009, also the last time the Flames defeated a Pac-12 Conference school (the Beavers are affiliate members of the West Coast Conference this season). OSU won 20 games last season and earned a berth in the inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament in Las Vegas.
- UIC's last three matchups with power-conference schools have all been road losses decided by 11 points or fewer — 69-58 at Cincinnati in 2023, 83-74 at Northwestern last year, and Friday's 76-73 margin at Oregon State.
- This was the Flames' closest call against a power conference opponent since an 80-75 win at BIG EAST member DePaul on Dec. 14, 2016.
- UIC's 13 steals were the most they have recorded against a Division I opponent since Nov. 16, 2016, when it also had 13 thefts in an 86-78 win over UTSA at Credit Union 1 Arena.
- Henderson's career-high seven steals were the most by a UIC player since Jan. 9, 2013, when Daniel Barnes had eight steals in a 75-70 home loss to Valparaiso.
- Entering Friday's game, Nathaniel's career highs were eight points and five rebounds (vs. Saint Mary's-Minn. on Nov. 16, 2024, at Credit Union 1 Arena).
UP NEXT: ST, FRANCIS (ILL.)
UIC returns to Credit Union 1 Arena on Tuesday when it welcomes in St. Francis (Ill.) for a 7 p.m. (CT) contest. It will be Homecoming (featuring a pre-game tailgate in Lot 1 across from the arena from 3-3:0-6:30 pm), as well as UIC Athletics Academic Achievement Night and Hoops for Heroes (honoring veterans and first responders for their service to our country and our community). All UIC students are admitted free to all UIC athletics events, including men's basketball games (just show your UIC ID at Gate 3 of Credit Union 1 Arena!), while fans can also purchase tickets online by CLICKING HERE. If you can't make it to the arena, the game will be televised live on ESPN+ and can be heard live and free around the world on the Flames Network at UICFlames.com. In addition, 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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