In a back-and-forth battle, the UIC Flames (14-9, 7-6 MVC) fell to the Illinois State Redbirds (15-9, 7-6 MVC) 81-79 Wednesday night at home.
Redbird sophomore Chase Walker set a career-high against the Flames, posting 31 points across 38 minutes. The 6-foot-9 forward made 10 of 14 shots and one successful 3-pointer.
The Flames grabbed an early lead, 7-2, in the first two minutes before ISU made eight unanswered shots. The rest of the first half was back and forth until the Redbirds went on a 10-2 run in the back half of the first 20 minutes of play. The Redbirds led 45-37 at the half.
Striking first in the second half, UIC quickly went up by eight points. Graduate student Tyem Freeman had another standout performance on both sides of the ball. He led the team with 18 points and contributed a picture-perfect block with 10 minutes left to keep the Flames in comeback territory. Jordan Mason contributed 15 points but missed the game-winning 3 just ahead of the final buzzer.
Sophomore forward Saša Ciani made his first appearance on the court in over two weeks, scoring 10 points and contributing three rebounds. Despite not hitting the mark on Wednesday, Ciani still leads the Missouri Valley Conference in double-doubles.
Ciani was one of three players to foul out during Wednesday’s second half, accompanied by Filip Skobalj and Modestas Kancleris. Missing three of its tallest players, UIC clearly struggled under the hoop late in the game.
“We battled through tons of foul trouble,” Flames head coach Rob Ehsan noted after the game. “Even with three guys fouled out and a couple banged up, we put ourselves in a position to win it at the end– but didn’t make enough plays.”
Wednesday night’s game allowed the Redbirds to avenge their earlier season loss against the Flames. The win puts them just ahead of UIC in MVC standings.
Despite recent losses, UIC has continued to boost its reputation as a program under the leadership of Ehsan. Attendance for Flames home games is at an all-time high and is only projected to rise. Clearly, fans care more about the Flames than ever, and the energy is on track to lead UIC to its first winning season in five years.
The Flames hit the road for two consecutive conference rematches, starting with Southern Illinois at 2 p.m. ET Saturday.
