Two teams hungry for a win will square off when UIC (3-17, 0-9 HL) hosts Valparaiso (5-15, 0-9 HL) Saturday afternoon at UIC Pavilion.  One team will emerge with its first conference win of 2017 in the 47^th edition of the long standing rivalry.

The Flames will look to shake off one of their worst offensive games of the season last time out against Northern Kentucky.  UIC shot a conference-low 30% from the floor and tallied just 37 points, their lowest score of the season.  They did hold NKU without a field goal for a nine minute stretch in the second half, and the 58 points they allowed represented their best defensive showing in conference play by 12 points.

Prior to the Northern Kentucky game, sophomores Brittany Byrd and Taylor Toney had each scored in double digits in three straight games.  The duo has each scored 10 or more points in five Horizon League games.  Only two other teams (Cleveland State and Milwaukee) have teammates who have done so more often.  They both rank in the top 25 in conference scoring – Byrd 11^th with 13.3 points per game, and Toney 25^th with 10.8.

In recent games, Terri Bender has made her 100^th start, scored her 1,000^th point, and moved up to second on UIC's all-time assist list.  If it seems like she is running out of milestones to achieve, her all-around illustrious career would beg to differ.  Entering Saturday's game, she is three steals away from becoming only the fourth player in Flames history to put up 1,000 points, 400 assists, 400 rebounds, and 250 steals.

UIC enters having lost 10 games in a row, the school's longest losing streak since 1998-99.  Valparaiso is on an 11 game losing streak and is 1-18 in their last 19 regular season conference games, with the one win coming at UIC last March.

Valparaiso, also winless in Horizon League play, is 9-15 overall after losing 65-52 to Wright State Sunday.  Valpo held the Raiders to 30% shooting, but WSU hoisted 18 more shots than the Crusaders.  Haylee Thompson led VU with 15 points.  Dani Franklin is their leading scorer and rebounder with 18.3 ppg and 7.6 rpg.  Her scoring output leads the Horizon League.
Valparaiso also is one of the biggest teams in the conference.  They have seven players six feet tall or taller, and have translated that size into the second most blocked shots in the Horizon League.  Amber Lindfors is tops in the conference with 2.2 blocks per game.

Valparaiso won the last meeting between the schools to pull even, 23-23, in the all time series.  Prior to that, UIC had a five game winning streak against the Crusaders and had won 12 of 15.  Each team is 13-8 on their respective home court.  UIC has won six of the last eight home encounters with Valpo, by an average margin of victory of 14.3 points.  The 46 meetings over the years make Valparaiso UIC's 9^th most common opponent.  UIC has more wins over the Crusaders than against all but three teams.

For full coverage of Saturday's game, log on to ESPN3, pull up UICFlames.com for live stats, and Follow @UIC_WBasketball on Twitter.