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UIC Athletics

thevalley
Parker Vanden Berg
81
Winner Illinois St. ILS 15-9,7-6 MVC
79
UIC UIC 14-9,7-6 MVC
Winner
Illinois St. ILS
15-9,7-6 MVC
81
Final
79
UIC UIC
14-9,7-6 MVC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Illinois St. ILS 45 36 81
UIC UIC 37 42 79

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's Basketball Drops Nailbiter to Illinois State, 81-79

Flames back on the road for a pair starting Saturday afternoon at Southern Illinois.

CHICAGO (Feb. 5, 2025) — Graduate student guard Tyem Freeman (Springfield, Mo./Hillcrest/UCF/Kent State) scored a team-high 18 points and junior guard Jordan Mason (San Antonio, Texas/Clark/Texas State) added 15 points, but Mason's last-second game-winning three-point try was just off the mark and UIC came up a touch short to Illinois State, 81-79 in Missouri Valley Conference action Wednesday night at Credit Union 1 Arena. The Flames (14-9, 7-6) battled through a great deal of adversity on Wednesday, including three players fouling out and an 11-point first-half deficit to take a five-point lead with three minutes left before the Redbirds (15-9, 7-6) used a 9-0 run to move back ahead for good. 

Freeman and Mason were among four UIC players to score in double figures, with junior guard Javon Jackson (Houston, Texas/C.E. King/Southern Nazarene/Utah State) tallying 12 points and sophomore forward Sasa Ciani (Nova Gorica, Slovenia/Koder School/Xavier) chipping in 10 points in his first significant action in two weeks after being sidelined with an illness. Senior guard Ethan Pickett (Pensacola, Fla./Cherokee/NW Mississippi CC/Triton) added eight points and a team-high seven rebounds off the bench.

The full box score and play-by-play recap from Wednesday's game can be found here.



COACH'S COMMENTS


SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • The series between UIC and Illinois State (ISU now leads 20-11) has consistently featured close results, with Wednesday's game marking the 21st time in 31 series meetings between the Flames and Redbirds that the matchup was decided by 10 points or fewer. That includes the last seven series games, and all six contests since UIC joined the Valley in 2022-23.
  • Of the 14 series games played in Chicago (series tied 7-7), 10 have been decided by 10 points or fewer, including the past three (each of which was decided by five points or fewer).
  • Close games continue to be the standard for UIC this season, with Wednesday being the 12th time in 23 outings this year the Flames have had a game decided by single digits, including nine of 13 conference games. UIC is 6-6 in single-digit games (4-5 in MVC play).
  • The Flames continue to display remarkable offensive balance, finishing with four double-digit scorers for the 15th time this season.
  • Pickett's seven rebounds tied a season high he set on two prior occasions (Nov. 16 vs. Saint Mary's-Minn; Nov. 23 vs. East Carolina).
  • Graduate student guard Joshua Reaves (Hamden, Conn./South Kent School/Mount St. Mary's) appeared in his 100th career game, making him the fourth current UIC player to reach that milestone — the others are Koby Jeffries (119), Filip Skobalj (115) and Freeman (107).

UP NEXT
It's back to the open road for UIC, as the Flames embark on a two-game Missouri Valley Conference swing that starts at 1 p.m. (CT) Saturday when they visit Southern Illinois. The game will air live as part of The Valley on ESPN package (available on ESPN+) and you can hear the free live radio call on the Flames Network 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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