Jan. 6, 2012
Pre-Game Notes 
► UIC will look to capture its second Horizon League win Saturday, when the Flames take on Youngstown State at the Beeghly Center beginning at 6:05 p.m. CST. The Flames are coming off Thursday night's 73-56 loss at Cleveland State, while the Penguins posted a 68-64 overtime win over visiting Loyola.
► Senior center Darrin Williamsenters Saturday's game with 294 career points, just six short of 300, and 197 career rebounds, only three shy of 200 for his two-year career. Williams is the Flames' career active leader in points, rebounds and blocks.
► Heading into the Flames' road tilt at Central Michigan (12/13/11), UIC had no players averaging double figures in scoring. As the Flames wrap up their second Horizon League road swing Saturday, junior guard Daniel Barnes (11.3 ppg), junior point guard Gary Talton (10.7) and senior center Darrin Williams(10.5) are all scoring in double digits.
► UIC's last regular season Horizon League road win was on Feb. 27, 2009, against Loyola in the 2008-09 regular season finale. Since then, the Flames have dropped 21-consecutive regular season Horizon League road decisions. UIC's last road win over a Horizon League foe was on March 3, 2009, when the Flames defeated host Youngstown State (73-68) in the first-round of the Horizon League Tournament.
► NEXT UP: UIC will kick-off a three-game homestand by hosting rival Loyola next Saturday (Jan. 14) beginning at 3 p.m., from the UIC Pavilion. The game will be televised on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
THE COACHES
UIC: Howard Moore(Wisconsin, `95) is in his second season as the head coach at UIC. He spent the previous five seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, helping the Badgers to five-straight NCAA tournament berths. Moore, 38, also served assistant coaching stints at Loyola (2004-05), Ball State (2003-04) and Bradley (1999-2003). Moore picked up his 12th head coaching win against Detroit on Dec. 29.
Moore is 1-1 against Youngstown State. The Flames dropped a heartbreaker at the Beeghly Center last season (12/30/10), falling 71-69 after leading 69-68 with 29 seconds remaining. In the return game at the UIC Pavilion (1/29/11), the Flames won going away, 83-61.
Youngstown State: Jerry Slocum is in his seventh season as the head coach at Youngstown State. Now in his 37th season as a head coach, Slocum is one of just 18 active NCAA men's basketball coaches to record more than 600 career victories. Slocum came to YSU after a nine-year tenure at Division II Gannon in Erie, Pa.
ABOUT YOUNGSTOWN STATE
» Youngstown State, which is just one possession away from being undefeated in conference play, was picked seventh in the preseason Horizon League poll.
» YSU recorded its 1,000th all-time win against Loyola Thursday night, outlasting the Ramblers, 68-64 in overtime. The Penguins saw four starters score in double figures, led by Ashen Ward's 21 points.
» The Penguins enter Saturday's game leading the Horizon League in three-point field goal percentage (.384) and three-point field goals made per game (9.4), blocks (5.8 bpg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.3), while ranking second in steals per game (6.7) and turnover margin (+3.6).
» Junior forward Damian Eargle, who leads the Penguins in both rebounding and blocks, was named the Horizon League Player of the Week on Jan. 2. Eargle scored 14 points and pulled down nine rebounds against Loyola.
UIC VS. CLEVELAND STATE POSTGAME NOTEBOOK
UIC was 77.3 percent (17-22) from the free throw line -- the Flames have posted their best-two free throw shooting efforts in the past two contests ... The Flames out-rebounded the Vikings, 40-37, marking the 10th time this season UIC has out-paced its opponent on the boards ... UIC shot 30.4 percent from field, its second-lowest shooting output of the season ... For just the second time this season, UIC did not have a player score in double figures ... The Flames fell behind 35-18 at halftime, but the score was knotted (38-38) in the second half ... Cleveland State led from wire-to-wire, just the second time this season that UIC did not post a lead during a game ... The Vikings' largest lead was 27 points (62-35) with 5:16 remaining.
THE SERIES
UIC holds a decisive 21-6 all-time series lead against Youngstown State, but the Penguins have won four-of the last seven in the rivalry. The Flames and YSU first went head-to-head during the 1992-93 season, with UIC claiming an 89-71 win. UIC dominated the series early, winning the first 16 meetings -- the Penguins' first win over the Flames didn't take place until the 2006-07 campaign.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
With a win over Youngstown State, UIC would...
» Equal its entire Horizon League win output from the 2010-11 campaign, with 12 regular season League games remaining
» Win its second-straight game over the Penguins
» Record its first road win of the season, and pick up its first victory at the Beeghly Center since the 2008-09 campaign (3/3/09 in the first-round of the Horizon League Tournament)
» Win its first regular season Horizon League road contest since Feb. 27, 2009
» Capture its first win against an opponent from the state of Ohio this season -- the Flames are 0-4 against Ohio foes, falling short against Toledo (11/26/11), Dayton (12/23/11), Wright State (12/31/11) and Cleveland State (1/5/12).
DOWN TO THE WIRE...
UIC's men's basketball team has seen no shortage of nail biters this season, playing a total of eight games decided by five points or less. UIC is 3-5 in those contests, and had a chance to either tie or win the game with a last-second shot in road games at Green Bay (12/1/11), Milwaukee (12/3/11) and Central Michigan (12/16/11). Additionally, the Flames have held second-half leads in seven-of their 10 losses this season, and have come up short in two overtime decisions.
TALTON IN HORIZON LEAGUE GAMES
Junior point guard Gary Talton, a transfer from Mountain View Community College in Texas, hasn't taken long to get acclimated to Horizon League play. In four-of UIC's five conference games, Talton has eclipsed his previous career-high in scoring (14 at Green Bay, 18 at Milwaukee, 21 vs. Detroit, Wright State). He enters Saturday's contest at Youngstown State averaging 16.0 points per game during Horizon League action.
Additionally, Talton currently ranks fourth in assists per game (3.8), fourth in free throw percentage (.875) and ninth in three-point field goal percentage (.500) during Horizon League play. Talton, who led Mountain View to the Division III Junior College National Championship last season while ranking in the top-five of the nation in assists per game, has dished out at least three assists in 11-of UIC's 15 contests this season.
UIC IN THE HORIZON LEAGUE STATS
Entering Saturday's game at Youngstown State, UIC ranks second in the Horizon League in rebounding margin (+2.4), offensive rebounds (13.4 rpg) and defensive rebounds (25.2 rpg), while sitting third in free throw percentage (.731) and fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.366). On the season, the Flames boast three-of the League's top-20 scorers in junior guard Daniel Barnes (11.3 ppg; 13th), junior point guard Gary Talton (10.7 ppg; 17th) and senior center Darrin Williams(10.5 ppg; 19th).
GETTIN' DEFENSIVE
UIC has held five opponents this season to under 40 percent shooting, including three-of its last five. The Flames have also limited eight opponents to less than a 30 percent effort from three-point range.
HUMES ON THE HORIZON
Sophomore forward Hayden Humes, a first-year transfer from Toledo, has made at least one three-pointer in nine-of his last 12 games, and is leading the team with a 46.2 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Humes has made at least two three-pointers in three individual games during Horizon League play.
SHOOTING FROM DISTANCE
UIC is averaging 6.4 made three-point field goals per game this season, the fourth-best mark in the Horizon League. The Flames have converted at least five threes in 11 games, and their top-two three-point shooting performances (9 at Green Bay, 10 vs. Detroit) have taken place during Horizon League play. Junior guard Daniel Barnes ranks second in the League in three-point field goals made per game (2.3), while sophomore forward Hayden Humes is shooting 46.2 percent from three-point range, the second-best mark in the conference. In the Howard Moore era, the Flames have drilled 242 threes, an average of 5.3 triples per game.
