CHICAGO – The UIC women's basketball team (2-7) will conclude the non-conference portion of its schedule this weekend as they compete in the South Point Holiday Hoops classic in Las Vegas, Nev. The Flames are set to face Fairfield on Friday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. CT and Jackson State on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 1 p.m.

Starting Five

• Senior Brittany Byrd led all scorers on Wednesday evening against UCLA, notching 21 points for her third 20+ scoring effort of the season. The senior has now scored at least 20 points on nine different occasions in her career.
• Taylor Toney comes in the League's top 20 in scoring, averaging 9.9 points per game. She also makes the top 20 in rebounding and the top 10 in steals.
• Kara Wilson has been making big contributions for the Flames, leading the squad in assists with a 2.4 per game average. She also ranks second on the team in steals, averaging 1.7 thefts per contest.
• Tatum McCall sank a pair of threes against UCLA for her second-highest scoring game of the season. The freshman also handed out a career-high four assists against the Bruins.
• The Flames lead the Horizon League in steals, averaging 8.9 thefts per contest. The Flames have recorded more steals than their opponents in three of their last four contests (Miami, Evansville, Indiana State), and have reached double digits in steals on three occasions so far: Nov. 27 at Eastern Michigan (11), Dec. 1 against Miami (14) and Dec. 8 at Indiana State (14) . UIC's 14 thefts against Miami and Indiana State are a team season high.

Last Time Out

• The Flames suffered a 78-47 setback on Wednesday night in their first-ever meeting with the UCLA Bruins.
• The Flames endured 10 denials from the Bruins, an opponent season-high.
• The Flames shot 31.4 percent from the field, compared to 37.5 percent by UCLA.
• UIC made a season-high 71.4 percent of its shots from the free-throw line as a team.

Sizing up the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic

• The Flames are making their way back to the South Point Hotel and Casino for the Holiday Hoops Classic, having participated in the tournament back in 2014.
• Fairfield enters the arena with a 2-7 record, looking to snap a seven-game losing streak after winning their opening two.
• Jackson State is 3-5 so far, winning their last two contests convincingly against Spring Hill College (105-57) and Millsaps College (88-38).
• The Stags will play against Furman on Thursday, Dec. 20 prior to facing UIC, while the Tigers will battle with Akron before meeting up with the Flames.

Up Next

• The Flames will make their Horizon League debut at home on Friday, Dec. 28 against Northern Kentucky.
• UIC took down the Norse 73-55 in their last meeting, its last Horizon League win.