NORMAL, Ill. — UIC graduate student forward Abdul Momoh scored a game-high 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting and added six rebounds to help the Flames defeat No. 7 (Mid-Major) Illinois State, 63-59 in overtime in Missouri Valley Conference action on Saturday afternoon at CEFCU Arena in Normal, Ill. It was also a milestone win for head coach Rob Ehsan, who earned his 100th career victory, and it also marked UIC's third consecutive road win at Illinois State, a first in program history.
Sophomore guard Elijah Crawford added 10 points, including two key baskets in overtime, and junior guard/forward Mekhi Lowery sank two game-clinching free throws with 5.1 seconds left to secure the win. Graduate student guard Sam Silverstein grabbed a season-high nine rebounds for the Flames (7-10, 2-4 MVC).
The full box score and play-by-play recap from Saturday's win at Illinois State can be found here.
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SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
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BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- UIC picked up its first win over a mid-major Top 25 opponent since Jan. 29. 2025, when the Flames won 93-70 at No. 4 Bradley. This was also the fourth Mid-Major Top 25 win for the Flames in head coach Rob Ehsan's two seasons at UIC — last year, the Flames downed No. 1 Drake, No. 4 Bradley and No. 13 Yale.Â
- UIC has now won five of its last six overtime games, dating back to the end of the 2023-24 season, and moves to 1-1 in OT this season (the Flames fell at Charlotte, 88-76 on Dec. 21). This was UIC's first OT win since Jan. 15, 2025 (a 97-93 double-overtime victory over Murray State at Credit Union 1 Arena).
- UIC garnered its first road overtime win since Dec. 15, 2024 (77-69 at Little Rock), and first road OT win in regular-season conference play since Feb. 19, 2022 (96-88 at Robert Morris when the Flames were still members of the Horizon League).Â
- The Flames have led at halftime in all six of their MVC games this season.
- Since trailing 16-6 with 9:56 left in the first half on Dec. 17 vs. UNI, UIC has either led or trailed by just single digits for nearly the entire 479+ minutes of game time in that span (the exception was the final 53 seconds of OT at Charlotte on Dec. 21). In this current stretch of 6 1/2 games, the Flames have led for 180:15 and only trailed for 69:31.
- Prior to its current series-long three-game winning streak in Normal (2024-26), UIC had won only twice in 15 prior visits to Illinois State. The only other time the Flames had won on back-to-back trips to Normal was 2002 and 2004.
- Illinois State still leads the all-time series with UIC, 20-12 (13-5 in Normal), but UIC has won five of the last nine matchups with the Redbirds.
- Of the 32 games in the UIC-Illinois State series, 22 have been decided by 10 points or fewer, including the past eight and all seven since the Flames joined the MVC in 2022-23.
- Saturday marked the second time UIC and Illinois State have gone to overtime. On Feb. 1, 2023, the Redbirds edged the Flames, 68-62 in Normal.
- With Saturday's win, Ehsan is now 100-81 in six seasons as a head coach, including a 24-24 record in his two years at UIC.
- Momoh posted his fourth double-figure scoring game in his last five outings and fifth this season.
- Crawford scored in double figures for the third consecutive game and fourth time this year.
- Silverstein's nine rebounds topped his previous season high of seven that he set on two occasions (Nov. 3 vs. Detroit Mercy and Nov. 26 at Robert Morris).
UP NEXT: NORTHERN IOWA
The Flames continue their MVC road trip Tuesday with a 6 p.m. (CT) contest against Northern Iowa at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The game will be carried live on the MVC TV Network, which includes ESPN+ as well as several Gray Media-owned and non-Gray syndicated over-the-air stations located within the Conference's six-state footprint of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee.
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!
UIC basketball season and single-game tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster (Men's Basketball or Women's Basketball), UICFlames.com/Tickets or by contacting the UIC Athletics Ticket Office at (312) 413-UIC1 (8421) or athleticsticketing@uic.edu. UIC students are admitted free for all Flames' home games.
In addition, the US Solar Courtside Club is open for each game at Credit Union 1 Arena, with Club passes available for purchase through the UIC Athletics Ticket Office or at the Courtside Club entrance on game nights. Located just steps away from the action on the event level at Credit Union 1 Arena, the US Solar Courtside Club provides a premium experience for all UIC basketball fans, including enhanced food and beverage options. The Club also offers luxury seating and flat-screen televisions, and fans will have earlier access to the arena through a dedicated separate gate entrance, allowing them to get a quicker start on supporting their Flames each and every night.
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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