Skip To Main Content

UIC Athletics

thevalley
Beljan_ILST_021526
Chris Kohley
56
Illinois St. ILS 17-10,9-7 MVC
83
Winner UIC UIC 15-12,10-6 MVC
Illinois St. ILS
17-10,9-7 MVC
56
Final
83
UIC UIC
15-12,10-6 MVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Illinois St. ILS 26 30 56
UIC UIC 33 50 83

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Rides Hot Shooting Past Illinois State, 83-56

Flames shoot 55 percent on the day, including 72 percent in the second half.

CHICAGO — UIC redshirt junior forward Ante Beljan came off the bench to score a game-high 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting in 16 minutes, helping spark UIC to an 83-56 Missouri Valley Conference win over Illinois State before 2,141 fans on Sunday afternoon at Credit Union 1 Arena. The Flames (15-12, 10-6 MVC) shot 55.1 percent from the field in the victory, including 71.9 percent (23-of-32) in the second half, during which they made 17 of their first 21 shots in the opening 12-plus minutes when they outscored the Redbirds, 38-15.

Beljan led another quartet of UIC double-figure scorers, with graduate student forward Abdul Momoh and freshman guard Rashund Washington Jr. each contributing 13 points (Momoh added six rebounds) and sophomore guard Elijah Crawford turning in another well-rounded line of 12 points, a game-high eight assists, four rebounds and a career-high four steals.

The full box score and play-by-play recap from Sunday's win over Illinois State can be found here.
 




COACH'S COMMENTS


SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • UIC moves to 10-6 in MVC play, matching its conference win total from last season (its highest in four years as a Valley member) and securing the first back-to-back .500 or better conference seasons since 2018-19 and 2019-20 (both 10-8/.556 in the Horizon League).
  • Illinois State was the 13th UIC opponent (and third in four games) to be either ranked or receiving votes in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll at tipoff (the Redbirds were receiving votes).
  • UIC sweeps the regular season series from Illinois State for the first time since joining the Redbirds in the MVC in 2022-23 and improves to 5-3 against ISU in those four seasons. 
  • Illinois State leads the overall series with the Flames, 20-13, while UIC takes an 8-7 lead in games played in Chicago.
  • The Flames are the first home team to win in the series since Feb. 1, 2023 (a 68-62 overtime win for Illinois State in Normal), and pick up their first victory over the Redbirds at Credit Union 1 Arena since Dec. 28, 2022 (a 55-51 decision in what was the program's first-ever MVC win).
  • The 27-point margin is UIC's largest victory in the series, and one point off the largest by either team (ISU posted a 93-65 win on Nov. 28, 1984, in the first-ever series game in Normal).
  • Sunday's margin also tied for UIC's largest against a Division I opponent this season (76-49 vs. Evansville on Jan. 20 at Credit Union 1 Arena).
  • The 83 points are the most the Flames have scored against Illinois State since Dec. 5, 2018 (a 94-75 win at Credit Union 1 Arena).
  • UIC flirted with the arena record for highest field-goal percentage in one half (.810 vs. Roosevelt on Dec. 22, 2016), making 17 of its first 21 shots in the second half before finishing at .719 for the final 20 minutes (23-of-32).
  • UIC's .551 field-goal percentage was its highest against a Division I opponent this season — the Flames shot .651 against St. Francis (Ill.) on Nov. 11 and .565 against Illinois Tech on Dec. 28, also both at Credit Union 1 Arena.
  • Ante Beljan's game-high 16 points were his highest total against a Division I opponent this year (22 vs. St. Francis-Ill.; 16 vs. Illinois Tech).
  • Elijah Crawford's eight assists were one off his career high (nine at UNI on Jan. 13).
  • Crawford also had a career-high four steals, two more than his previous best that he set on seven occasions (most recently on Feb. 6 vs. Belmont at Credit Union 1 Arena).
  • Andy Johnson tied his career high with two blocks (also on Dec. 7 at Yale).
  • More than 25 UIC men's basketball alumni were in attendance for Sunday's game, while the UIC coaching staff participated in the NABC Coaches vs. Cancer initiative by wearing special sneakers hand-painted by pediatric cancer patients at UI Health.


UP NEXT: EVANSVILLE
It's back to the open road for UIC next week, as the Flames head to Evansville on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. (CT) conference contest with the Purple Aces. The game will be televised live from the Ford Center 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).
 

Tweet #ChicagosCollegeTeam

Print Friendly Version