CHICAGO – The UIC women's basketball team (7-20, 0-16 HL) will face Northern Kentucky (8-19, 6-10 HL) to start the final pair of home games on Friday, Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. CT at the UIC Pavilion. The Flames are looking to even the series against the Norse after a 61-53 overtime loss in Highland Heights, Ky. left a bitter taste back on Jan. 21.

Starting Five

• UIC is second in the Horizon League in offensive rebounds with 14.7 per game.  Gabryelle Johnson leads the team with 87, and is third in the Horizon League individually in offensive boards with a 3.2 per game average.  Five players (Brittany Byrd, Taylor Toney, Tylah Lampley, Jada Nneji, Johnson) have at least one game with five offensive rebounds, and the Flames have out-offensive rebounded their opponents in 20 of 27 games.
• The Flames are second in the Horizon League in turnovers forced and fourth in the conference in steals, averaging 8.9 thefts per contest. Toney leads the squad with 63 thefts, and is fourth in the Horizon Leagues in the category, averaging 2.3 steals per contest.
• UIC is sixth in the conference in blocked shots, led by Tylah Lampley, who has swatted away 23 this season to rank sixth amongst players in the Horizon League with a 0.9 per game average.
• Freshman Abreanna Lake handed out a personal-high and season team-high nine assists at Oakland on Saturday (Feb. 17), making her the first Flame to record eight or more assists since all-time assists leader Terri Bender had eight on Feb. 4, 2017 against Youngstown State. Lake continued handing out the assists against Green Bay, assisting on a team-high four against the Phoenix.
• UIC's freshmen have shown tremendous growth throughout the season, and the team's first years stepped up big at Oakland. All five freshmen posted at least one career-high in the contest, and four out of the five posted career-bests in scoring. Against the Golden Grizzlies, a total of 18 personal bests were set by the squad's freshmen.

Last Time Out

• UIC battled the nation's No. 1 defense and the Horizon League's top team in Green Bay on Monday at the UIC Pavilion. The Phoenix held the Flames to single digits in two out of four quarters for a 66-37 loss.
• Catera Etheridge led UIC with eight points, while Teodora Zagorac and Gabryelle Johnson each netted six.
• The Flames out-shot Green Bay in the first quarter, making 38.5 percent from the field compared to The Phoenix' 31.3 percent, but Green Bay outshot UIC overall, netting 41.8 percent off all shots while keeping the Flames to just 29.8 percent.

Notes on the Norse

• NKU took a heartbreaking 60-59 loss to Youngstown State on Monday (Feb. 19) in its final home game of the season.
• Mikayla Terry led all scorers with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists, and did not turn the ball over once.
• Jazmyne Geist was also in double figures with 10 points, and Taryn Taugher added eight points for the Norse.
• Despite the outcome, NKU committed fewer turnovers, fewer fouls, while out-blocking and out-stealing the Penguins.
• The Norse are second in the Horizon League in blocked shots, averaging 3.7 denials per contest.
• NKU is fourth in both scoring defense (61.0 per game avg) and rebounding defense (33.8 per game avg.).

For additional game notes and links to the ESPN3 stream and live stats, please see the blue box above.