UIC put together one of its most complete performances of the season on Friday night, pulling away in the second half to earn their 6th straight win with an 85-70 road win at Carver Arena. The Flames led 39-28 at halftime and never looked back, shooting a blistering 61.5% from the field after the break to improve to 11-10 overall and 6-4 in Missouri Valley Conference play. Bradley fell to 14-8 overall and 7-4 in league action.

Elijah Crawford was the story of the night. The sophomore guard poured in a game-high 26 points on 9/14 shooting, knocking down five of his six attempts from three-point range. Crawford's scoring burst helped UIC stretch a single-digit halftime edge into a commanding lead midway through the second half. UIC's bench proved decisive, outscoring Bradley's reserves 36-25. Josiah Hammons sparked the Flames off the bench with 18 points, connecting on five three-pointers in just 20 minutes. Andy Johnson added 13 points, while Sam Silverstein contributed an all-around effort with eight rebounds and four assists.

After shooting 41.2% in the first half, UIC caught fire offensively, finishing the game at an even 50% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc (12/24). The Flames also capitalized in transition, scoring 12 fast-break points, and controlled the glass with a 37-28 rebounding advantage.

Bradley showed signs of life in the second half, shooting 60% from the floor after intermission, but could not overcome a cold start to the second half and UIC's perimeter shooting. Timoty van der Knaap led the Braves with 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench, while Ahmet Jonovic and Alex Huibregtse each scored 11. AJ Smith chipped in 10 points for Bradley. Despite holding an edge in points in the paint (32-26), Bradley struggled from three-point range, finishing just 6/22 (27.3%), and was unable to string together enough stops as UIC repeatedly answered Braves runs with timely shots.

UIC closed the night by hitting eight of its final 10 free throws , sealing the road victory and tightening the MVC standings heading into the nine matchups of conference play. Bradley will be back in action next Saturday when they travel to Des Moines to take on the Drake Bulldogs. The game will be available for streaming on CBS Sports Network at 5:00 p.m. Fans can also tune in to 1470 WMBD for the Bradley Basketball radio broadcast with Dave Snell and Chad Kleine.