EVANSVILLE — UIC freshman guard Andy Johnson scored a game-high 17 points (all in the second half), highlighted by a career-high 5-for-5 night from beyond the arc, as the Flames lived up to their nickname by scorching the nets in an 84-46 Missouri Valley Conference win at Evansville on Tuesday evening at the Ford Center. Collectively, UIC (16-12, 11-6 MVC) knocked down a season-high 16-of-27 three-point attempts (59.3 percent), finishing one trey short of the school record for a single game while also picking up its 11th conference win of the year, the most for the Flames in one season since 2017-18.
The Flames' defense was just as strong, holding Evansville (6-21, 2-14) to an opponent season-low 46 points while posting what is believed to be UIC's largest margin of victory in a road game since Feb. 13, 1953 (116-60 at George Williams), well before the start of the program's 45-year NCAA Division I era in 1981-82.
Graduate student guard Josiah Hammons was nearly as hot as Johnson from distance on Tuesday, scoring 14 points on 4-of-5 three-point tries (making all four of his first-half attempts). Junior guard Ahmad Henderson II contributed 11 points, while freshman guard Rashund Washington Jr. tallied 10 points and sophomore guard Elijah Crawford added 10 points and a career-high 10 assists for his first career double-double.
The full box score and play-by-play recap from Wednesday's win at Evansville can be found here.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- UIC's 38-point margin of victory is believed to be its largest in a true road game in its NCAA Division I era (1981-82 to present) and largest at any time since Feb. 13, 1953, when the Flames posted a 116-60 win at George Williams College.
- This is believed to be UIC's largest margin of victory against a Division I opponent since Nov. 16, 2017 (a 95-55 win over Delaware State at Credit Union 1 Arena in the opening round of the Adolph Rupp Classic).
- This is also believed to be UIC's largest-ever margin of victory in a conference game, surpassing a 77-44 win at Detroit Mercy on Jan. 18, 2003.
- UIC rises to 11-6 in the MVC this year, its most conference wins in a single season since 2017-18, when the Flames posted a 12-6 record in the Horizon League. It also secures the first winning conference record in a season since 2019-20 (10-8, .556 in Horizon League).
- Tuesday's 16 three-pointers are the most for UIC in the two-year tenure of head coach Rob Ehsan, topping the 14 triples at Bradley on Jan. 29, 2025. It's also the most for the Flames since Feb. 28, 2024 (16-of-35 in a triple-OT loss to Drake at Credit Union 1 Arena), and one off the school record set on three occasions (most recently on Jan. 12, 2019, in a home win over Cleveland State).
- For the second game in a row, UIC ties its season high for assists against a Division I opponent (the Flames had 29 against St. Francis-Ill., on Nov. 11 at Credit Union 1 Arena).
- UIC's .593 three-point percentage was its second-highest mark from distance this year, exceeded only by a .667 mark (8-of-12) against St. Francis (Ill.) on Nov. 11.
- Andy Johnson's career-high 5-for-5 three-point efficiency was the best by a UIC player since Jan. 7, 2025, when Filip Škobalj also made all five of his three-point attempts in a win at Missouri State.
- Johnson also tied his career high with seven rebounds for the third time this year (first since Jan. 31 at Southern Illinois).
- Elijah Crawford's 10 assists are the first double-digit assist game for a UIC player since Nov. 16, 2024, when Javon Jackson had 10 assists against Saint Mary's (Minn.) at Credit Union 1 Arena.
- Junior guard/forward Mekhi Lowery tied his career high with four steals, first hitting that mark in the Flames' earlier matchup with Evansville on Jan. 20 at Credit Union 1 Arena.
- UIC moves to 12-2 all-time against Evansville (5-2 on the road) and has won the past five games in the series. The Flames are also now 7-1 against Evansville since joining the MVC in 2022-23.
UP NEXT: VALPARAISO
UIC returns home Saturday for a 2 p.m. (CT) MVC matinee against Valparaiso at Credit Union 1 Arena. Prior to the game (at approximately 1:40 p.m. CT), the Flames will celebrate Senior Day, recognizing their four graduate students — Josiah Hammons, Abdul Momoh, Sam Silverstein and Tai Walters-Whitaker — prior to one of their final regular-season home games.
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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