MORAGA, Calif. — Graduate student guard Benny Gealer scored a season-high 18 points and redshirt sophomore forward Jayce Nathaniel added 11 points to pace UIC, but it wasn't enough to hold back a hot-shooting Saint Mary's squad as the Flames suffered their first loss of the season, 84-61 on Friday night at University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, Calif.
The host Gaels (3-1) connected on more than 54 percent of their shots, including 12-of-27 from three-point range, to pull clear of the Flames (3-1) who had battled SMC to a stalemate through the opening 10 minutes. However, after Gealer's old-fashioned three-point play tied the score at 17-17, Saint Mary's scored 14 of the next 16 points and eventually stretched the margin from there.
The full box score and play-by-play recap from Friday's game at Saint Mary's can be found here.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Flames and Gaels were playing one another for the first time — it was also UIC's second consecutive road game in the state of California, following last spring's NIT first-round game less than 15 miles away in Berkeley against the Cal Golden Bears.
- Gealer has now scored in double figures in his last three outings, averaging 14.3 ppg. in that span. His previous season high was 14 points in his last game on Monday against UNC Greensboro.
- Nathaniel posted his ninth career double-figure game — four of those nine have now come against teams that were coming off NCAA or NIT appearances. Along with Friday's total at SMC, which has played in the last five NCAA Tournaments, Nathaniel scored at least 10 points last year against NCAA qualifiers High Point and UNI, as well as NIT participant Murray State.
- Freshman guard Elijah Garrett had the best game of his young career with seven points, all in the first half.
- Sophomore forward Nano Barrantes came on in the second half and grabbed a career-high four rebounds (previous best was three in the Nov. 2 season-opening win over St. Francis).
UP NEXT: CHICAGO STATE
UIC returns home Wednesday for a 6 p.m. (CT) matchup with city rival Chicago State at Credit Union 1 Arena in the second installment of the Chicago Crosstown Challenge. Wednesday's game will mark the Cougars' first visit to the West Loop since the 2016-17 season and the 63rd all-time meeting between UIC and Chicago State, ranking seventh on the Flames' career charts for frequently-played series. Last year, the Flames and Cougars resumed a rivalry that had gone dormant for nearly a decade and produced a nail-biter, as UIC dug in to pull out a 67-63 win over Chicago State at the Jones Convocation Center on the South Side.
FOLLOW THE FLAMES
Fans can purchase UIC basketball tickets (single-game or season packages) by going online through Ticketmaster or by contacting the UIC Athletics Ticket Office at (312) 413-UIC1 (8421) or athleticsticketing@uic.edu. Once again this season, all UIC students are admitted FREE to all home games with their student ID.
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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