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Arch Madness & Hoops In The Heartland

UIC Men's and Women's Basketball, Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, 2024

By UIC Creative & Digital Services

April 22^nd, 2024

ARCH MADNESS BEGINS

On March 7, 2024, excitement was in the air as UIC Flames jumped on buses to St. Louis to cheer on the Men's Basketball team.

ARRIVAL TO ST. LOUIS

After a long trip, the Flames prepared a spirited send-off for the men's team's first game at the Enterprise Center.

GAME ONE - VS SOUTHERN IL

The team started off strong against Southern IL, with a lead of 41-27 heading into the second half.

THE GAME HEATS UP

UIC headed into overtime after regulation, tied 63-63. The fans were fired up!

VICTORY IN 2ND OVERTIME

UIC came out on top with a final score of 84-82.

The game made history as the first 2nd overtime game since 2004 in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

GAME TWO - VS BRADLEY

Another send off with the help of Sparky, the Cheer team, and Pep Band.

TEAM SPIRIT

UIC left everything on the court playing against No. 3 seed, Bradley, in the quarterfinal.

UIC is the first No. 11 seed in history to reach the quarterfinals at the MVC Tournament.

UIC lost the game 47-74, but as a team, recorded a season-high 12 steals, including nine in the first half alone. The Flames also finished the season averaging 5.33 blocks per game, which set a new MVC record.

UIC is just the second MVC school to average more than five blocks per game for an entire season since blocked shots became an official NCAA statistic in 1985-86.

HOOPS IN THE HEARTLAND

UIC students and staff joined the Women's team on their journey to Vibrant Arena at The MARK in Moline, IL, to start their tournament against No. 10 seed Valparaiso, one week after the Men's team left for St. Louis.

GAME ONE - VS VALPARAISO

The Valpariaso Beacons challenged UIC, only missing one shot in the opening three minutes of the game, and led 27-16 heading into the second quarter.

UIC cut their deficit to four points heading into the fourth quarter, trailing Valparaiso 66-62.

Junior forward Makiyah Williams came up with a crucial basket with 14 seconds left in the fourth quarter to make it a two-possession game and help seal the victory for UIC.

Their 13-point rally was the largest comeback win of the season for UIC and the third time this year the Flames have erased a double-digit deficit to win.

COMMENT FROM HEAD COACH ASHLEEN BRACEY

“This was a really gritty, gritty win. I’m just really proud because it’s not easy to battle back from 13 in the second half,” said Bracey. “We got to a point where we were in battle mode and ignoring the scoreboard, just fighting for each other."

GAME TWO - VS BELMONT

UIC kept the game close at the end of the first quarter, trailing Belmont by just three points, 22-19.

Senior guard Danyel Middleton (25) hit a tough shot with 13 seconds on the clock to bring UIC within four (39-35) just before halftime.

Quote from UIC Head Coach Ashleen Bracey:

"We gave it everything we’ve got on that court tonight. I believe the future is really bright for this program.”

Story sourced in part from uicflames.com

For more UIC Basketball, Cheer, and Pep Band Visit:

Men's Basketball Women's Basketball Cheer Team Pep Band

Footnotes

Photos: Adam Biba, Mike Fan, Hilary Domke, Michael Gomez, Vamsi Munjuluri // Video: Nathan Nager, Misha Ardichvili, Abel Juarez // Creative Direction: Wayne Odle

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FootNotes

Photos: Adam Biba, Mike Fan, Hilary Domke, Michael Gomez, Vamsi Munjuluri // Video: Nathan Nager, Misha Ardichvili, Abel Juarez // Creative Direction: Wayne Odle

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