CHICAGO -- After closing nonconference play last week with seven wins, UIC will begin Horizon League play on Friday, Dec. 30, when it hosts the Valparaiso Crusaders in a nationally-televised game at the UIC Pavilion. The game will air on ESPNU and it will tip at 4 p.m. CT.

The Flames won seven of 13 nonconference games, the most since the 2012-13 squad posted 11 victories outside of Horizon League play. The team won three of its final four out-of-league contests over a nine-day span with the lone defeat coming in overtime against a talented Loyola Chicago squad on Dec. 17. UIC has shared the basketball well during that recent stretch as its averaged 19 assists in those four tilts compared to 12.6 per game in the team's first nine games. The Flames tallied a season-high 23 assists last time out against Roosevelt with helpers on 76.6 percent (23-of-30) of their made field goals. In the second half against the Lakers, UIC assisted on 15 of 17 made field goals.

UIC has received contributions from up and down the roster at times throughout the season with two players stepping up in a big way last week. For the second time in as many seasons under head coach Steve McClain, the Flames swept the Horizon League's two weekly accolades. Junior Tai Odiase was named the Horizon League Player of the Week for the second time in his career on Dec. 26. The Glenwood, Ill., native started the week with a career-high 24 points, a season-high 11 rebounds and two blocks in a win against Northern Arizona. Odiase added a game-high 18 points, seven rebounds and two more rejections 48 hours later versus Roosevelt. For the week he averaged 21 points, nine rebounds and two blocks for the Flames.

Freshman Godwin Boahen was also recognized by the Horizon League on Monday as the conference's Freshman of the Week. The Toronto, Ontario, Canada, native recorded the first triple-double in UIC history with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in the triumph over Roosevelt. Not only did Boahen's 12 rebounds and 11 assists mark career highs, but the numbers also signified the highest single-game total for anyone on the Flames this season. His 11 assists were the most since Karl White, Jr. handed out 10 dimes against Wright State on Feb. 23, 2005. Boahen is one of 15 players in the NCAA, and the only one in the Horizon League, to notch a triple-double during the 2016-17 campaign.

Valparaiso is 9-3 with one more nonconference game on its slate. The Crusaders host Chicago State at the Athletics-Recreation Center on Wednesday, Dec. 28.

More notes, statistics and information about Friday's Horizon League opener can be found in the UIC Game Notes PDF linked above.

Tickets remain available for the game and can be purchased by calling the UIC Ticket Office at 312-413-UIC1 (8421) or visiting Ticketmaster today.