Coming off of a historic program re-match victory against Bradley, the University of Illinois Chicago Flames fell to the Indiana State Sycamores 88-83 Saturday afternoon. The win brings the Sycamores (11-12, 5-7 MVC) just one game shy of a .500 record.
Saturday marked the seventh matchup between the two programs. The Flames hold a 1-6 record against the Sycamores, defeating the blue and white for the first (and only) time in 2001. This year’s matchup, however, holds the Flames’ smallest point deficit in a loss to the Sycamores in program history by just one point (previously 89-83, 2024).
UIC (14-8, 7-5 MVC) took an early lead but fell to an 11-point deficit heading into the half. Flames leading scorer Javon Jackson failed to post double digits, scoring just nine points across 26 minutes.
Defensively, the Flames still seem to be struggling without the presence of 6-foot-9 forward Saša Ciani. Despite his two weeks and counting absence, Ciani still leads the Missouri Valley Conference in double-doubles and rebounds.
“We didn’t defend well enough to put ourselves in a position to win this game,” UIC head coach Rob Ehsan said in the post-game press conference. “This was a really frustrating loss, but we have to continue to get better and learn from it.”
Despite the loss, the Flames are still on track to have their best season record in over a decade. Fourth-year senior Filip Skobalj has been with UIC through the ups and downs, expressing his focus on the scoreboard after the program terminated former head coach Luke Yaklich’s contract early last offseason.
“I’ve started all four years here,” he told MidMajorBasketball.com earlier this season. “I’ve seen a lot of change happen at UIC, but this year we’re definitely more offensively minded.”
Skobalj led the Flames on Saturday with 20 points and six rebounds. With less than two minutes left in the game, a perfectly executed play from Ahmad Henderson II set Skobalj up for a textbook 3, closing the gap to just two points. A string of fouls by the Flames let Indiana State lengthen its lead with free throws, shooting from the line at almost 80% in Saturday’s second half.
The Flames return to the Credit Union 1 Arena to face Illinois State on Wednesday.
