SEATTLE – Brayden Maldonado poured in 22 points and three other Redhawks scored in double-figures, but it would not be enough as visiting Illinois-Chicago claimed a 79-68 win over Seattle University men's basketball in a Friday afternoon meeting at the Redhawk Center.
Seattle U (4-8) held the Flames (7-4) scoreless for the opening 3:40 of play, but UIC went on to hit six straight field goals to take a 15-12 lead at the 12:30 mark.
An 11-0 Redhawk run, including eight points by John Christofilis had Seattle U leading 27-22 with five minutes remaining in the first. The teams would trade buckets down the stretch and UIC took a 34-32 lead into the break.
The back-and-forth battle was finally broken open midway through the second half as the Flames used a 7-0 spurt to turn a three-point advantage into the first double-digit spread, 58-48, with 6:56 to play.
The Redhawks went ice cold from the field, going nearly seven minutes without a field goal until Paris Dawson converted a driving layup with 4:02 on the clock. Seattle U got no closer than seven down the stretch.
Maldonado went 8-of-11 from the field, including 5-of-7 from three, to now with three rebounds, three steals and a block. The rest of the team went 1-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Christofilis finished with 11 points while Dawson and Maleek Arington chipped in 10 apiece.
Two more games remain on the non-conference slate, beginning Monday, Dec. 23 at cross-town foe Washington. Tip off from Alaska Airlines Arena is set for 7 p.m. The game will air on the Big Ten Network.
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