CHICAGO – The UIC women's basketball team (8-21, 1-17 HL) will make its way to Little Caesars Arena in Detroit for the first round of the 2018 Little Caesars Horizon League Basketball Championship. The Flames are seeded No. 10 and will face No. 7 Oakland on Friday, March 2 at 11 a.m.

Starting Five

• Brittany Byrd leads UIC in scoring, averaging 14.9 points per game, and is sixth in the Horizon League. Taylor Toney is ninth in the League, owning an average of 13.9 points per contest.
• UIC is second in the Horizon League with 14.8 offensive rebounds per game.  Six players (Johnson, Byrd, Toney, Lampley, Nneji, Zagorac) have at least one game with five offensive rebounds, and the Flames have out-offensive rebounded their opponents on 20 occasions.
• Gabryelle Johnson leads the team in rebounding, averaging 7.0 boards per game. She also paces the Flames with 91 offensive boards, and is fourth in the Horizon League individually in offensive rebounds with a 3.1 per game average. 
• Taylor Toney has stepped up big for the Flames this season, pouring in double-digit performances in 24 games. The junior has the most double-doubles on the squad with five, including her most recent double-double on Sunday against Wright State (16 pts, 10 rebounds).
• Flames' opponents have committed more turnovers than assists in all but ten games this season.  UIC is allowing 65.5 points per game overall this season, ranking seventh in the Horizon League, and opponents are shooting 41 percent from the floor. The Flames force an average of 18 turnovers per game, good for third in the Horizon League, which is also good for a top 75 ranking nationally.

Last Time Out

• The Flames honored seniors Gabryelle Johnson and Teodora Zagorac on Sunday in the final game of the regular season. UIC took on Wright State in the finale, and was handed an 80-53 loss.
• Taylor Toney closed out the regular season with her fifth double-double of the season, leading the Flames with 16 points while also contributing 10 rebounds and five assists.
• Tylah Lampley was just one rebound shy of the first double-double of her career, netting 11 points and a personal-best nine rebounds.
• Both seniors put in eight points apiece, while Johnson also blocked a season-high three.
• The Flames held a slight edge on the boards, 43-42, but the Raiders had more offensive rebounds, 20-17.

Golden Grizzlies Info

• The Golden Grizzlies outlasted Milwaukee 80-75 on Sunday (Feb. 25) in the regular season finale, earning them the No.7 seed.
• Oakland had four players in double figures, while netting a season-high 14 three pointers as a team.
• Cierra Bond led the squad with 21 points, and was responsible for four of the teams threes. Leah Somerfield poured in 17 points, and Korrin Taylor contributed 14 alongside three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.
• Taylor Gleason wrapped up the double-digit scorers, recording 10 points to go with seven rebounds and four assists.
• The Golden Grizzlies lead the Horizon League in both three point field goal percentage (34.5 percent) and steals (10.60 per game average).
• Oakland also owns a strong offense, that ranks second in the conference, averaging 70.8 points per contest. The No. 7 seed is also second in the League in assists, averaging 14.5 helpers per game.

This Season vs. Oakland

• Oakland defeated UIC in both of the teams' meetings this season, outlasting the Flames 67-63 on Jan. 11 at the UIC Pavilion and taking a 95-78 win on Feb. 17 on its own court.
• In the Feb. 17 matchup, all five freshmen posted at least one career-high, and four out of the five posted career-bests in scoring. By the time the final buzzer sounded, a total of 18 personal bests were set by the squad's freshmen. Freshman Abreanna Lake became 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.
• On Jan. 11 at home, UIC put up 28 points in the third quarter after facing a 16-point hole, but was ultimately unable to hold off Oakland. The Flames had three players in double figures in Brittany Byrd (18), Tylah Lampley (14) and Taylor Toney (11), but were just barely outscored, 32.5 percent to 32.4 percent.

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