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UIC Athletics

thevalley
Washington_VALPO_010426
AJ Schraffenberger
59
UIC UIC 5-10,0-4 MVC
66
Winner Valparaiso VALPO 7-8,1-3 MVC
UIC UIC
5-10,0-4 MVC
59
Final
66
Valparaiso VALPO
7-8,1-3 MVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UIC UIC 32 27 59
Valparaiso VALPO 31 35 66

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's Basketball Falls to Late Valparaiso Rally, 66-59

Flames return home Wednesday to face Southern Illinois at 7 p.m. (CT) at Credit Union 1 Arena.

VALPARAISO, Ind. — Graduate student forward Abdul Momoh posted team highs of 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks to help UIC build a seven-point lead on the road with under seven minutes remaining, but Valparaiso closed the game on a 19-5 run to take a 66-59 Missouri Valley Conference win on Sunday afternoon at the Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Ind. It was the fourth single-digit loss in as many conference outings for the Flames this season, with UIC's four MVC losses by an average of just 5.0 points per game.

The Flames (5-10, 0-4 MVC) far outshot the Beacons, converting 47.9 percent of their attempts from the floor (to Valpo's .366 field-goal percentage) and finishing with a 31-28 rebounding advantage. However, Valparaiso (7-8,. 1-3) made up the difference at the foul line, going 31-of-40 at the stripe, the most free throws made and attempted by a UIC opponent in more than seven years (Nov. 28, 2018, at Saint Joseph's-Pa., when the host Hawks went 36-of-41).

Freshman guard Andy Johnson scored nine points, redshirt freshman forward Jayce Nathaniel added eight points and sophomore guard Elijah Crawford, playing his first meaningful minutes since the Nov. 3 season opener vs. Detroit Mercy (and first action of any kind since Nov. 22 vs. Southern Indiana) due to an injury, scored six points and dished out a career-high six assists.

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

SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Along with the 5.0 ppg. margin in its four MVC games to date, UIC has led at halftime in all four conference contests thus far, including a 32-31 edge on Sunday at Valparaiso.
  • This marked UIC's eighth game decided by 10 points or fewer and/or in overtime among its 13 Division I games this year.
  • Since trailing 16-6 with 9:56 left in the first half on Dec. 17 against Northern Iowa, UIC has either led or trailed by just single digits for nearly the entire 394+ minutes of game time in that span (the exception was the final 53 seconds of overtime at Charlotte on Dec. 21). In this current stretch of 4 1/2 games, the Flames have led for 121:30 and only trailed for 59:44.   
  • Sunday's result continued a trend in the UIC-Valparaiso series, which has seen the home side have large swaths of control — the Beacons have now won 12 of the past 14 series matchups on their home court (UIC continues to lead the overall series, 35-30, with the 65th meeting making this the fifth-most common series in UIC men's basketball history).
  • The last eight regular-season matchups between UIC and Valparaiso have all been decided by single digits (UIC is 5-3 in those games), including all seven since the Flames joined the Missouri Valley Conference in 2022-23 (UIC is 4-3 against Valpo in regular-season MVC play).
  • Abdul Momoh posted his third consecutive double-digit scoring game, his longest streak in a UIC uniform and longest since a six-game double-figure scoring streak from Jan. 18-Feb. 6, 2025, while playing at Central Connecticut State.
  • Momoh's three blocks represented the seventh time this year he has registered multiple swats in a single game.
  • Elijah Crawford's six assists topped his previous career high of four dimes, set twice last year when he was playing at BYU (vs. Queens on Nov. 13, 2024, and Florida A&M on Dec. 20, 2024).

UP NEXT: SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
UIC returns home to Credit Union 1 Arena on Wednesday to take on Southern Illinois at 7 p.m. (CT). It will be '70s Night (so break out your bell bottoms, leisure suits, platform shoes and disco moves!) and free UIC Flames rollabanna signs will be given away to early-arriving fans, courtesy of the MVC and State Farm. Next Wednesday's game will be televised live on ESPN+ and can be heard free of charge around the world on the Flames Network at UICFlames.com (which will also offer live stats).

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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