Friday's win over Northern Kentucky was full of firsts.  On Saturday, the UIC Flames will look to add a second to that list, by winning their second game of the 2017 Horizon League Tournament.  The #10 Flames (6-24, 2-16 HL) will square off against #2 Wright State (23-7, 15-3 HL) at 1:00 pm at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich.

In UIC's 72-60 first round win over the Norse, the Flames built a lead of as many as 25 points – the first time they had led a conference opponent by that much at any point of the season.  The win was the first over Northern Kentucky in team history.  It was the first time a #10 seed had won its opening game in Horizon League Tournament history.  UIC made 54.2% of its shots, ranking first in the school's conference tournament history.  And it was the first win in the postseason since 2014 for the Flames, who were eliminated from last year's tournament by Saturday's opponent, Wright State.

The Flames led virtually the entire game Friday, but the contest was not without a little late drama.  Northern Kentucky chipped away at the Flames' lead by using a trapping, pressing defense that caused six UIC turnovers during a 13-1 Norse run.  With just under three minutes to play, NKU was within nine points.  But UIC kept their poise, and when Northern Kentucky was forced to foul down the stretch, the Flames made their free throws to seal the outcome.

Good shooting was evident in all phases for the Flames.  In addition to their overall conference tourney-best percentage, they set a season high on three point shots (44.4%; 4-for-9) and were solid at the free throw line, making 12 of 18 in the fourth quarter alone.  Though the teams were even in turnovers (20 each), the Flames were almost twice as efficient in turning miscues into points.  They outscored the Norse 18-10 off of turnovers and held a commanding 40-28 edge in the paint, thanks to a consistently patient offense that made extra passes and worked for good shots.
 

Though Wright State won both regular season matchups, the Flames more than held their own against the conference's co-regular season champions.  In the first game Jan. 20, UIC led by nine in the first half and held a two point advantage at the break.  Turnovers proved to be their undoing when the Raiders went on a third quarter run.  The Flames finished with a conference high 30 turnovers, which Wright State turned into 33 points.

In the rematch in Dayton Feb. 11, UIC held Wright State to a season low 26.7% shooting percentage, which was also the best effort by the Flames' defense.  A big third quarter rally brought the Flames to within two after trailing by 13 at the half.  But foul trouble plagued UIC.  They sent Wright State to the line 35 times, where they would make 27.  The Flames were just 6-for-11 on free throws and took merely one foul shot in the fourth quarter.

Brittany Byrd led the Flames in scoring in both games and averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in the two contests.  Taylor Toney and Tyra Carlsten-Handberg both had double-doubles in the second game.  Terri Bender averaged six assists, while Gabryelle Johnson had 5.5 rebounds per game.

Wright State tied for the regular season championship by virtue of its 62-52 win over Milwaukee on the season's last day.  Down by one at the half, Wright State went on a 17-0 run over a seven minute span in the third quarter.  The Raiders maintained their lead and were up by 14 with six minutes to play, when Milwaukee went on a 12-4 run of their own to pull within six in the final 90 seconds.  The Raiders then iced the game from the free throw line.  Lexi Smith led four Raiders in double figures with 21 points.  Chelsea Welch led the league in scoring (19.9 ppg) and was in the top 15 in several other categories, earning First Team All-Horizon League honors.  Katrina Merriweather was named the conference's Coach of the Year after her squad finished second in scoring defense and in rebounds per game.  Wright State also was second in turnover margin.

A win would give UIC multiple wins in the same conference tournament for the first time since 2006.  It would also snap a nine game losing streak to Wright State, who has appeared in two of the last three league championship games.

Saturday's winner will have a day off while other quarterfinal action takes place at Joe Louis Arena, where the men's and women's tournaments are being held concurrently – another first for this postseason.  Semifinal action will commence Monday against either #3 Detroit Mercy or #6 Cleveland State.