TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Indiana State men's basketball plays its second-to-last home game in the 2023-24 regular season on Saturday, taking on the UIC Flames at 8 p.m. ET.
 

Indiana State Men's Basketball vs UIC
Date	Saturday, February 24 | 8 p.m. ET
Location // Venue	Terre Haute, Ind. // Hulman Center
Game Notes	Indiana State Notes // UIC Notes
Live Stats	Live Stats Link
Watch	ESPN+
Social Media	@IndStBasketball // @IndStAthletics

Series History
The ISU-UIC series is still relatively fresh, as the two teams have met only five times entering this weekend. After UIC won the series debut back in 2001, Indiana State won the next four matchups, including the most recent meeting earlier this year in Chicago, 89-83.

About UIC
UIC is in its fourth year with Coach Luke Yaklich at the helm. UIC sits in 11th of 12 in the MVC with a 4-13 MVC record. Last year, the team finished 12-20 overall and 4-16 in league play. They were beat out by Missouri State 74-57. Three Flames currently average 10.0+ PPG: Isaiah Rivera (15.1), CJ Jones (11.5), and Toby Okani (10.6).

Last Time Out - Indiana State
Indiana State men's basketball earned a victory at Valparaiso on Wednesday, 83-64, and moved to 23-5 overall and 14-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
Jayson Kent finished one point shy of tying his career high with 23 points, shooting 8-for-13 from the floor, adding in six rebounds. Xavier Bledson and Ryan Conwell each finished with 15 points and six rebounds. Bledson finished 6-for-8 shooting and tacked on three assists, while Conwell shot 5-for-11 and had two assists. Robbie Avila also had 15 points but dished out six assists in 24 minutes on the court. Julian Larry scored five points with six assists. Jake Wolfe played just over 24 minutes, contributing four points, five rebounds, and four assists with no turnovers. Jaden Daughtry saw the floor for the first time in more than a month and recorded six points and three rebounds in 7:48.

Inside shooting helped the Sycamores to victory, scoring more than half its points inside the paint (46). ISU scored on 69.7% of attempts inside the arc (22-for-33) which is the highest since facing Valpo at home just two weeks ago (four games). Overall, ISU shot 57.1% (32-for-56) from the floor, the fourth-highest percentage of the season.

Last Time Out - UIC
Isaiah Rivera helped the Flames close the game on a 30-16 run during the final 6:18 and pick up UIC's third win in its last five outings. Rivera also led five UIC players in double figures, paced by sophomore guard CJ Jones, who delivered his first career double-double with 17 points and 10 assists.
 
Junior forward Filip Skobalj added 16 points and six rebounds. Senior guard Toby Okani contributed 12 points, five rebounds and three steals, and redshirt sophomore forward Jaden Brownell came off the bench to deliver 11 points and a game-high (and career-best) seven rebounds.
 
As a team, UIC shot 51.9 percent from the floor, including 57.7 percent in the second half. The Flames also knocked down 9-of-19 three-pointers (.474) and converted 23-of-27 free throws (.852), including a perfect 12-of-12 from the stripe in the final 66 seconds to secure the victory.

Gameday Promotions
Indiana State is hosting game two-of-two of its annual Blackout Cancer games. Proceeds from the game will go toward the State Dance Marathon – Riley Children's Foundation which helps raise funds and awareness in an annual 12-hour event that combines activities, dancing, and fundraising for the children receiving life-changing treatment at Riley Hospital for Children.

The first 500 fans can receive a black t-shirt upon entry. During the game, fans can participate in a Miracle Minute where buckets will be passed around the stadium for individuals to donate if they wish. 

Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Basketball, visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.