CHICAGO -- UIC will seek to open the season with back-to-back wins for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign on Monday, Nov. 13, when the Flames host the Saint Joseph's Hawks at 7 p.m. CT inside the UIC Pavilion.

The Flames opened the season on Friday, Nov. 10 by knocking off 2017 NCAA Tournament participant North Carolina Central, 65-55. Godwin Boahen led the way for UIC with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 26 minutes off the bench. It was the first opening-night win under head coach Steve McClain and the first for the program since taking down UC Riverside to begin the 2012-13 season.

Saint Joseph's opened its slate on Saturday, Nov. 11 at Toledo. Despite turning the ball over only six times and making 12 3-pointers, the Hawks fell to the Rockets, 98-87. Shavar Newkirk, who missed most of last season with a torn ACL, returned the lineup and scored a team-high 21 points in only 20 minutes of action. SJU won the only other meeting in this series, taking down the Flames, 77-61, on Dec. 17, 1982.

Monday's game will be televised on NBC Sports Chicago and also carried on NBC Sports Philadelphia+. To locate NBCSCH on your cable provider, please use this channel finder. In addition, fans nationwide (outside the Chicago and Philadelphia television markets) can catch the action on ESPN3 and ESPN College Extra. For ESPN College Extra provider information, please click here.

UIC will be debuting its black alternate jerseys against Saint Joseph's. Students, who will be admitted free with a valid I-Card, will receive a replica jersey featuring either No. 10 or No. 21.



OPENING NIGHT DELIGHT

• The Flames defeated North Carolina Central on Friday night, 65-55.
• It was the first time UIC won its first game of the season since defeating UC Riverside on Nov. 11, 2012.
• The Flames won an opening game for the 19^th time in the Division I era, and by at least 10 points, for the 13^th time.

POINT WELL TAKEN

• Sophomore Tarkus Ferguson handed out 177 assists as a freshman, the sixth-best single-season total in program history.
• Ferguson's total was the most since Martell Bailey tallied 250 helpers during the 2003-04 season that culminated in an NCAA Tournament appearance.  
• Ferguson led the conference with 4.9 assists per game in all contests and 5.4 helpers per Horizon League tilt.
• The Belleville, Ill., native averaged 8.7 assists per game during the team's three CBI games and handed out a career-high 12 helpers in a win over George Washington on March 20.

FRESH FACES

• The Flames welcome three freshmen and one junior transfer to the program this year.
• Junior Naradain James comes to UIC after playing at Garden City Community College in Kansas last season.
• James earned All-Jayhawk Conference honorable mention after averaging 11.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for the Broncbusters.
• UIC's three freshmen all hail from outside of Illinois. Michael Diggins is from Las Vegas, Jacob Wiley is from Houston and Ralph Bissainthe is from North Miami, Fla.
• Diggins' cousin, Skylar, was a three-time All-American at Notre Dame and currently plays for the WNBA's Dallas Wings.

More game notes are available by clicking the PDF in the blue box above.