CHICAGO -- UIC will look to get back to its winning ways on Thursday, January 18, when the Flames hit the road to face the Youngstown State Penguins at the Beeghly Center at 6 p.m. CT.

The Flames (8-11, 3-3 Horizon League) saw their three-game Horizon League winning streak snapped by the Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Monday night. UIC shot well in the first half, nearly 52 percent, but could not sustain that clip in the second half as OU prevailed. Dikembe Dixson and Tai Odiase scored 13 points each for the Flames, while Tarkus Ferguson had a strong all-around effort with eight points, seven rebounds and a game-high six assists.

Youngstown State (5-14, 3-3 Horizon League) has dropped three in a row after winning their first three Horizon League games under first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun. Two of the Penguins' three conference victories have come in home games at the Beeghly Center.

STARTING FIVE

• UIC continues a stretch of five games in 11 days at Youngstown State Thursday night.
• The Flames finished 2-1 on the recently completed three-game homestand.
• Both times the Flames have played at the Beeghly Center under Steve McClain, the game has required extra time. Both times the winning team scored 92 points.
• The Flames had a season-low two blocks Monday against Oakland, yet still rank fourth in the NCAA in that category with 6.7 per game.
• The Flames have won back-to-back games over YSU for the first time since 2013.

A WIN VS. YOUNGSTOWN STATS WOULD GIVE UIC...

• The fourth Horizon League victory of the season and second away from home.
• Back-to-back road wins for the first time since winning at Cleveland State (Jan. 12) and Youngstown State (Jan. 14) last year.
• Three wins vs. YSU under Steve McClain, tied for most against HL foe (Milwaukee).

ON THE DEFENSIVE

• UIC leads the Horizon League in field goal percentage defense with the opposition shooting only 40.9 percent against the Flames this season.
• In conference games only, UIC allows opponents to shoot an Horizon League-low 40.5 percent from the field.
• The Flames held their first five conference opponents below their season average in field goal percentage. Most notably, first-place Wright State shot 32.8 percent, 10.5 percent below its average, on Dec. 28.
• UIC is the only Horizon League team to rank in the top three in the conference in both FG% (3^rd; 46.7%) and FG% defense (1^st; 40.5%) in conference games.

NOT IN TAI'S HOUSE

• Tai Odiase owns 305 blocks, most in program history, after adding two against Oakland.
• Odiase passed Scott VanderMeer, who had 273, on Dec. 9 against DePaul.
• The Glenwood, Ill., native is the NCAA's active leader in total career blocks (305) and ranks fourth in career blocks per game (2.70).
• He ranks 11^th in NCAA with 2.95 blocks per game this year, and is averaging 3.0 blocks per game in UIC's six Horizon League contests.
• The senior's season-high seven blocks against UW-Parkside on Dec. 6 marked the seventh time in his career that he has swatted at least as many shots in a single game.
• He has rejected at least one shot in 99 of his 113 career games (87.6%).
• Odiase has blocked at least one shot in 31 of UIC's last 33 games dating back to Feb. 2, 2017 at Green Bay.
• In five career games against the Penguins, he is averaging 3.6 blocks per game. In the last four meetings, that number jumps to 4.5 bpg.
• With continued health, Odiase could soon catch the Horizon League's all-time leader, former Youngstown State standout Damian Eargle, at 309 blocks.

SCOUTING THE PENGUINS

• Youngstown State enters Thursday's game with an overall record of 5-14 and a 3-3 mark in Horizon League play. The Penguins are 2-0 in League games at the Beeghly Center.
• Youngstown State, under first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun, has two players averaging more than 14 points per game. Sophomore Braun Hartfield paces the Penguins with 14.8 points per game, while one of the League's top scorers over the past three-plus seasons, Cameron Morse, is at 14.5 ppg.
• The Penguins are one of the nation's top teams when it comes to stealing the ball. YSU leads the Horizon League and ranks ninth in the NCAA with 170 thefts (8.9 spg).

More notes, statistics and information can be found in the UIC Game Notes (PDF) linked in the blue box above.