ST. LOUIS (March 6, 2025) — Senior guard Ethan Pickett (Pensacola, Fla./Cherokee/NW Mississippi CC/Triton) posted team highs of 11 points and sxi rebounds, but UIC (17-14) could not overcome its roughest offensive performance of the season, falling to Valparaiso, 67-50 in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament (Arch Madness) on Thursday night at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The Flames created numerous golden scoring opportunities, but the shots just didn't fall, as they finished with a season-low .298 field-goal percentage, including 5-of-20 from three-point range.
Pickett was the lone UIC player in double figures, with fellow senior forward Filip Skobalj (Belgrade, Serbia/Don Bosco-Schule Rostock) adding nine points on 3-of-6 three-pointers and redshirt senior forward Modestas Kancleris (Kaunas, Lithuania/Varpas Gimnazija/Creighton/Cal State Bakersfield) also grabbing a team-high six rebounds.
The full box score and play-by-play recap from Thursday's game vs. Valparaiso can be found here.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- UIC is 1-3 in its three appearances at the MVC Tournament since joining the conference prior to the 2022-23 season.
- The Flames were held to season lows for both field goal percentage and scoring, surpassing their 53 points and .320 field-goal percentage in a Feb. 11 loss at Murray State.
- Pickett's 11 points marked his second double-digit scoring game this year after a season-high 17 points on Nov. 16 against Saint Mary's (Minn.). His six rebounds were one off his season high, which he set three different times.
- Graduate student guard Tyem Freeman (Springfield, Mo./Hillcrest/UCF/Kent State) tied his career high with three steals.
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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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