UIC (3-9, 0-1 HL) will close out 2016 with a New Year's Eve matinee at Detroit Mercy (5-7, 1-0 HL).  The 50^th meeting between the teams will tip at noon from Calihan Hall and can be seen on ESPN3.

The Flames opened Horizon League play with a loss at Oakland Thursday.  They held one of the nation's top 10 teams in turnover margin in check in that category, playing the Grizzlies to a deadlock in giveaways.  Three players scored in double digits, and UIC shot nearly 44% in the second half.  Good ball movement and open shots were prevalent throughout the contest, but not enough of those looks went through the net.

Poor shooting has plagued the Flames in their last two games, both losses, against Bradley and Oakland.  UIC shot a combined 29% in those contests after making 43% of their shots in their win over Howard.  There have been several bright spots in those two losses.  The Flames have been protecting the ball, committing just 14.5 turnovers the last two games after a stretch of five out of six games with over 20 turnovers.  Rebounding has been a consistent strength this season as UIC leads the Horizon League in offensive rebounds and is third in overall rebounds.  The Flames rank second in the league in steals.

Individually, Brittany Byrd and Gabryelle Johnson have been UIC's leaders of late.  Byrd is averaging 16 points per game over the last four, and led the team in scoring in three of those contests.  Johnson has tallied double digit rebounds for the first times in her career in the last two games.  UIC had been without a 10+ rebound performance since November 17.

Head coach Regina Miller has all her weapons at her disposal with the 18-game gauntlet of conference play underway.  The Flames were, at long last, at full strength against Oakland.  Teodora Zagorac, sidelined with an injury since December 10, dressed but did not play.  Terri Bender returned from a one game absence, and Deja Anderson-Fitzell got on the court for the first time.  It was the first time all season that every player dressed out.

Detroit Mercy topped Valparaiso Thursday to kick off their conference slate with a win for the first time since 2011-12.  Brianne Cohen had 22 points, and Nicole Urbanik had four threes.  Urbanik is one of the Horizon League's top three point shooters and leads the conference in treys per game (2.36).  Rosanna Reynolds and Cohen are both in the league's top 10 in scoring (15.9 and 14.5 points per game, respectively) and shooting (.428 and .547).  Reynolds, the preseason Horizon League Player of the Year, is second in the league and ranks in the nation's top 50 in assists.

UIC would extend their winning streak against Detroit Mercy to two games with a win.  It would also be the Flames' third win in their last four games at Calihan Hall.  The Titans hold a 26-23 edge in the hotly contested series.  UIC had won six of eight games before a three game Detroit Mercy streak, which ended in the last meeting.

The Flames will return to Chicago in time to ring in the new year, then host Milwaukee January 5 to begin a two game homestand.