On Wednesday night, UIC hosted Northern Iowa for its first appearance in this season’s Missouri Valley Conference competition. Under new leadership in former UAB coach Rob Ehsan, the Flames came up short, falling 83-56 to the Panthers.
This loss marks the Flames’ second-lowest scoring drive this season, just one point more than their 72-55 loss in last week’s game versus East Carolina at the first annual Boardwalk Battle in Daytona Beach, Florida. Wednesday’s loss also comes with the Flames’ lowest-scoring percentage, shooting at just 32% over 40 minutes.
Javon Jackson has been a standout for the Flames in previous games, but the junior guard’s performance on Wednesday was no match for the Panthers’ Leon Bond III and his career-high 22 points during the game.
The Flames trailed 46-32 at the half, with Ehsan being heard on the sidelines urging his players to “play smart” during the conclusion of the game’s foul-heavy first 20 minutes.
Sasa Ciani was the Flames’ key contributor against the Panthers, playing well under pressure and under the hoop. The 6-foot-9 sophomore was clearly frustrated during Wednesday’s second half, but he kept his composure with the ball in hand as the rest of his team struggled to execute plays.
The Flames return to the Credit Union 1 Arena to face Dartmouth on Sunday.
