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UIC Athletics

thevalley
Crawford_UE_012026
Chris Kohley
49
Evansville Evans 5-15,1-8 MVC
76
Winner UIC UIC 10-10,5-4 MVC
Evansville Evans
5-15,1-8 MVC
49
Final
76
UIC UIC
10-10,5-4 MVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Evansville Evans 20 29 49
UIC UIC 34 42 76

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's Basketball Wins Fifth in a Row, Rolling Past Evansville, 76-49

Flames head back on the road Saturday for 7 p.m. (CT) matchup at Bradley.

CHICAGO — UIC sophomore guard Elijah Crawford scored a career-high 16 points and dished out seven assists, while freshman guard Rashund Washington Jr. posted his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, sparking the Flames to their fifth consecutive win, a 76-49 Missouri Valley Conference victory over Evansville on Tuesday night at Credit Union 1 Arena. It was the fewest points allowed by UIC (10-10, 5-4 MVC) in a game this season, while the Flames' five-game winning streak (all against MVC opponents) is their longest conference success string since the 2017-18 season, when UIC won seven in a row during Horizon League play.

Graduate student guard Josiah Hammons and junior guard Ahmad Henderson II each chipped in 10 points for UIC on Tuesday. The Flames led for all but the first five minutes of action, as Evansville (5-15, 1-8) scored the opening five points before UIC responded with gusto, going on a 22-4 run and the Purple Aces never got closer than 11 points the rest of the night.

The full box score and play-by-play recap from Tuesday's win over Evansville can be found here.
 




COACH'S COMMENTS



SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • UIC's current five-game winning streak (all against MVC opponents) is its longest in conference play since joining the Valley in 2022-23 and longest in any conference setting since Jan. 18-Feb. 8, 2018, when the Flames won seven in a row while competing under the Horizon League banner.
  • UIC held Evansville to an opponent season-low 49 points, the first time a Flames' opponent hasn't topped the 50-point mark since Nov. 4, 2024, when UIC defeated St. Francis (Ill.), 91-43 at Credit Union 1 Arena. It's the fewest points allowed by UIC against a Division I opponent since Dec. 8, 2023, when the Flames earned a 55-49 win at Jacksonville State.
  • The Flames limited Evansville to an opponent season-low 20 points in the first half, the fewest points allowed by UIC in the opening 20 minutes of a game since the 2023 win at Jacksonville State (19 points).
  • In their last three home games, the Flames have held their opponents to an average of just 21 first-half points — 21 by Southern Illinois (Jan. 7), 22 by Drake (Jan. 17) and 20 by Evansville (Tuesday night).
  • UIC had 15 steals on Tuesday, its second-highest total of the season and most against a Division I opponent (17 vs. St. Francis-Ill. on Nov. 11 at Credit Union 1 Arena). It was the most thefts by the Flames against a Division I opponent since Dec. 22, 2007, when the Flames swiped a Credit Union 1 Arena-record 25 steals in a 97-58 win over Howard.
  • UIC improves to 11-2 all-time against Evansville, including a 7-0 record in Chicago. The Flames have won six of seven matchups with the Purple Aces since joining the MVC in 2022-23, while this marks the largest margin of victory by either school in the series and the first time in those seven Chicago meetings that the margin didn't end up in single digits.
  • With 16 points, Elijah Crawford topped his previous career high of 14 points set on Jan. 13 at UNI. He also becomes the eighth different UIC player to lead the team in scoring at least once this season, tying for the second-most unique team-high scorers among any Division I program this year (VCU has nine, while Creighton, Illinois, Kentucky, Northeastern and Saint Louis also have eight).
  • Rashund Washington Jr. becomes the third UIC player to post a double-double this year (Mekhi Lowery-2, Jayce Nathaniel-1), with his 10 rebounds easily surpassing his previous high of seven that he set on three occasions (most recently on Jan. 1 against Murray State).
  • Mekhi Lowery and Abdul Momoh each recorded a career-high four steals on Tuesday night.


UP NEXT: BRADLEY
The Flames head back out on the road Saturday when they travel down to Peoria, Ill., for a 7 p.m. (CT) matchup againat Bradley. Saturday night's contest from Carver Arena will be televised live on ESPN+.


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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