CHICAGO -- UIC will celebrate Athletic Alumni Day and play the newest Horizon League foe for the second time this month on Saturday, Jan. 27, when the IUPUI Jaguars invade the UIC Pavilion at 3 p.m. CT.

The Flames (10-11, 5-3 Horizon League), winners of five of their last six games, won back-to-back games on the road last weekend with victories at Youngstown State and Cleveland State. UIC topped the Penguins by 14 points on Jan. 18, the largest margin of victory in a true road game under head coach Steve McClain. The Flames buried a season-high 14 3-pointers and handed out a season-high 21 assists in that victory. UIC went ahead by as many as 22 points against the Vikings on Jan. 20 and fought off a late surge to win, 87-80. Godwin Boahen poured in a season-high 18 points off the bench, while Jordan Blount added a career-high 17 points and 11 rebounds for his second career double-double in the triumph.

IUPUI (7-13, 4-5 Horizon League) had won three straight games after falling to the Flames on Jan. 4, but the Jaguars have lost two in a row entering Saturday's test.

UIC trailed by seven points at the half in the first meeting between the two sides as Horizon League foes, but it roared back with a huge second half to top the Jags, 70-65. Dikembe Dixson and Marcus Ottey each poured in 19 points to lead the Flames to victory at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis. For a full recap of that game, please click here.

STARTING FIVE

• UIC has won five of its last six games dating back to Jan. 4 at IUPUI.
• The Flames (5-3) have achieved their best start in #HLMBB play since 2002-03 (6-2).
• UIC has won three consecutive road games for the first time under head coach Steve McClain, and the first time overall since the 2008-2009 season.
• Senior Tai Odiase became the Horizon League's all-time leading shot blocker at Youngstown State, and now owns 312.
• Odiase also became the 23^rd player in UIC history, and second this year, to reach 1,000 career points at Cleveland State.

A WIN VS. IUPUI WOULD GIVE UIC...

• The sixth Horizon League victory of the season and third at the UIC Pavilion.
• The second three-game winning streak of the season (also Jan. 4-12).
• The first Horizon League sweep of the season and an unblemished 5-0 record all-time against the Jags.

CLOSING TIME

• UIC is 9-0 this season when leading at the half. The squad has one second-half comeback, erasing seven-point halftime deficit to win by five at IUPUI on Jan. 4.
• The Flames are shooting 49.7 percent from the floor, 45 percent from downtown and 85.9 percent from the free throw line in the second half of their five Horizon League wins.
• UIC is 0-2 when tied at half (FW, at WSU).

OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY

• In five Horizon League victories, UIC is shooting 51.2 percent from the field.
• Against Green Bay (Jan. 10) and Milwaukee (Jan. 12), the Flames shot at least 50 percent in back-to-back games for the first time under Steve McClain, and the first time overall since Feb. 8 and 12, 2015 (at UDM, at WSU).
• UIC had its best performance of the year from the floor on Jan. 10 vs. Green Bay, shooting 58.2 percent in victory.
• The Flames made a season-high 34 field goals on Jan. 12 against Milwaukee. UIC sank 33 field goals at Cleveland State on Jan. 20, and 32 against both Green Bay (Jan. 10) and Youngstown State (Jan. 18).

SCOUTING THE JAGUARS

• IUPUI enters Saturday's game with an overall record of 7-13 and a 4-5 mark in Horizon League play. The Jags have dropped two straight after winning three in a row following the defeat against UIC on Jan. 4.
• The Jaguars rank fourth in the conference and 43^rd in the NCAA with 15.75 turnovers forced per game. IUPUI owns 145 steals this season, which also ranks in the top 100 in the nation. Junior D.J. McCall leads the League and ranks 43r^d among individuals with 2.0 steals per game. He had one of his team's nine thefts in the first meeting against UIC this season.
• One player has started all 20 games this season, senior Aaron Brennan. He has scored in double digits in seven consecutive games and is averaging 16.0 ppg in that span. He led the Jags with 18 against the Flames on Jan. 4.

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