CHICAGO -- UIC, winners of six consecutive games, returns home Thursday night, Feb. 8, following a successful three-game road trip to host the Youngstown State Penguins at the UIC Pavilion. The contest tips off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on NBC Sports Chicago Plus. It will also be available on ESPN3 outside of the Chicagoland area.

The Flames (14-11, 9-3 Horizon League) went on the road last week and knocked off Milwaukee, Oakland and Detroit Mercy to run their winning streak to six games overall and six in a row away from home. UIC has won nine of its last 10 games since the calendar changed to 2018 with the lone hiccup coming on Jan. 15 at home against Oakland. The Flames got a measure of revenge on the Golden Grizzlies by winning at the O'rena for the first time ever on Friday night, 79-73. The team's six game winning streak is the longest since the 2013-13 squad rattled off eight non-conference wins in a row from Nov. 17-Dec. 15, 2012. It's the longest in League play since the 2003-04 team won 12 consecutive contests between Jan. 24-March 9. The win on March 9 was at Milwaukee and it secured UIC's third, and most recent, NCAA Tournament bid in program history.

The Penguins (6-19, 4-8 Horizon League), under the direction of first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun, are seeking to snap a four-game slide Thursday. YSU's last victory came over IUPUI on Jan. 20, 85-62. The Penguins are also looking to end a streak of three consecutive UIC victories in the series between the two programs.

STARTING FIVE

• UIC has won six in a row and nine of its last 10 games dating back to Jan. 4 at IUPUI.
• The Flames (9-3) have achieved their best start in #HLMBB play since 2002-03 (9-3).
• UIC has won six consecutive road games for the first time under head coach Steve McClain, and the first time overall since the 2003-2004 season.
• The Flames won at Oakland's O'rena last Friday night for the first time ever, 79-73. It was the program's second win all-time against the Golden Grizzlies.
• UIC's current six-game winning streak is its longest since the 2012-13 season (8).

A WIN VS. YSU WOULD GIVE UIC...

• The 10th Horizon League victory of the year, most since 2003-2004 (12)
• A guaranteed winning record in League play for the first time since 2003-04 (12-4).
• Four consecutive wins over the Penguins for the first time since 2/10/05-12/2/06.
• The program's first winning streak of at least seven games since Nov. 17-Dec. 15, 2012 (8).

ON THE DEFENSIVE

• UIC leads the Horizon League in field goal percentage defense with the opposition shooting only 40.1 percent against the Flames in all games this season.
• The Flames have held their last four opponents (IUPUI, Milwaukee, Oakland and Detroit Mercy) to 36.5 percent or lower. Cleveland State was the last team to eclipse 40 percent, shooting 42.4 percent in a UIC victory Jan. 20.
• UIC joins Northern Kentucky as the only Horizon League teams to rank in the top three in the conference in both FG% (2nd; 46.9%) and FG% defense (1st; 39%) in League games.

BENCH BOOST

• UIC's bench is averaging 22.7 points per game through 25 contests and has outscored the opposition's reserves by 124 total points this season.
• The second unit outscored Detroit Mercy's on Sunday, 21-1. Every UIC reserve scored with sophomore Godwin Boahen netting eight points with two 3-pointers to pace the victors.
• UIC's leading scorer has come off the bench seven times, most recently on Jan. 20 at Cleveland State (Godwin Boahen, 18 points).

SCOUTING THE PENGUINS

• The Penguins are the top offensive rebounding team in the Horizon League, ranking fifth in the NCAA with 14.36 per game. YSU tallied 16 offensive boards in the first meeting with UIC on Jan. 18.
• Youngstown State pressure's the ball and ranks first in the conference and 10th nationally with 213 steals. The Penguins have five players with at least 22 steals and Braun Hartfield leads the way with 43.
• Hartfield is the team's leading scorer with 14.9 points per game. The sophomore posted a double-double against the Flames on Jan. 18 with 25 points and 10 rebounds. He scored 17 points and had seven rebounds in the first half, but was largely held in check in the second.

More notes, statistics and information for Thursday's game can be found in the UIC Game Notes PDF linked in teh blue box above.