Crawford's 18 lead UIC over Drake 80-70

Published Feb. 12, 2026 10:28 p.m. ET

Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Elijah Crawford's 18 points helped UIC defeat Drake 80-70 on Thursday night.

Crawford also contributed five rebounds and five assists for the Flames (14-12, 9-6 Missouri Valley Conference). Mekhi Lowery scored 12 points while shooting 4 of 6 from the field and 4 for 4 from the line. Josiah Hammons had 12 points and went 4 of 7 from the field (4 for 6 from 3-point range).

Eli Shetlar finished with 17 points for the Bulldogs (12-15, 6-10). Jalen Quinn added 15 points.

UIC opened the game on a 14-2 run. Led by nine first-half points from Hammons, UIC carried a 40-38 lead into the break. The second half featured eight lead changes and was tied seven times before UIC secured the victory. Crawford scored nine second-half points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.