CHICAGO -- UIC returns home to the Windy City to open the holiday week against the Roosevelt Lakers on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. inside the UIC Pavilion.

The Flames have been idle since a trip to Macomb, Ill., to face Western Illinois, on Nov. 17. Tuesday's contest will mark only the third of the season for UIC head coach Steve McClain and his squad. Roosevelt, on the other hand, has hit the hardwood seven times already, including twice for Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tilts.

Below are a few headlines as the Flames prepare to welcome the Lakers to the Pavilion on Tuesday at 7 p.m.:

CAREER-HIGH TAI
Sophomore Tai Odiase has established statistical career highs in each of UIC's first two games this season. In the opener against San Francisco (Nov. 13), the Glenwood, Ill., native rejected a career-high five shots. In UIC's second game at Western Illinois (Nov. 17), Odiase poured in a personal-best 16 points. He also sank a career-high eight free throws against the Leathernecks.

IN-STATE SLATE
Tuesday's game vs. Roosevelt is the second of seven non-conference contests against teams from Illinois this season. After already facing Western Illinois in Macomb, UIC will host the Lakers tonight and DePaul on Dec. 2. The Flames will welcome the Illinois Fighting Illini to the United Center on Dec. 12 before taking on Illinois State at the UIC Pavilion on Dec. 16. UIC will be at Loyola on Dec. 19 before closing non-conference play against Northern Illinois at home on Dec. 29.

HORIZON LEAGUE HONORS
On Monday, Nov. 16, UIC newcomer Dikembe Dixson was named the first Horizon League Freshman of the Week for the 2015-16 season. The Freeport, Ill., native led the Flames with 13 points in his collegiate debut against San Francisco on Nov. 13. Dixson scored 11 points in the second half against the Dons and shot 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the final 20 minutes. He became UIC's first-ever Horizon League Freshman of the Week.

BENCH MOB
All five UIC starters picked up two personal fouls in the first half against San Francisco (Nov. 13), but a strong showing from the reserves kept the Flames in the ballgame. The bench scored 23 of UIC's 36 points in the first 20 minutes, with six different Flames contributing. Sophomore Lance Whitaker scored six points on two 3-pointers, while junior Najeal Young added a spark with four points and three rebounds in the first half against the Dons. Young also led UIC with seven points off the bench at WIU on Nov. 17; he is averaging a team-best 7.5 ppg and 4.0 rpg off the bench in his first season with the Flames.

SHARING THE ROCK
The Flames recorded 17 assists in the season opener vs. San Francisco after hitting that mark only three times in 34 games a year ago. On Nov. 13 against the Dons, three different players - Dominique Matthews, Paris Burns and Markese McGuire - handed out a team-high three helpers apiece.

For more notes and information about Tuesday's Thanksgiving-week game and the entire 2015-16 season, please click the Game Notes PDF above.

The Flames will finish the week in Des Moines, Iowa, where they will face the Drake Bulldogs on Saturday, Nov. 28 at 2 p.m. UIC is back home on Wednesday, Dec. 2 for crosstown clash against the DePaul Blue Demons at 7 p.m.