CHICAGO – The UIC women's basketball team (2-9) will make its Horizon League debut on Friday, Dec. 28 when it welcomes Northern Kentucky (1-9) to the Credit Union 1 Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.

Starting Five

• Brittany Byrd reeled in her second double-double of the season on Saturday (Dec. 22) against Jackson State. The senior he led the team in both points (19) and rebounds (11), while also shooting a career-high 9-of-12 from the free throw line.
• Kiarra Thompson gave her second double-digit scoring performance of the season against the Tigers, recording 10 points for the Flames. The sophomore was one point shy of her career high and now averages 4.7 points per game.
• Jada Nneji has been big on the boards for UIC, leading the squad in rebounds on Friday (Dec. 21) against Fairfield with six. The sophomore brought in her first double-digit rebounding effort of the year on Dec. 22 against Jackson State with 10 rebounds.
• Tatum McCall has scored in all but four contests so far, and leads the squad in both three-point field goal percentage (.308) and comes in second in three-point makes (0.7 per game) and three-point attempts (2.4 per game). On Dec. 19 against UCLA, McCall handed out a career-high four assists, while also putting up six points.
• The Flames rank second in the Horizon League in steals, averaging 8.8 thefts per contest. The Flames have recorded more steals than their opponents in five contests (Loyola, Miami, Evansville, Indiana State and Fairfield), and have reached double digits in steals on four occasions so far: Nov. 27 at Eastern Michigan (11), Dec. 1 against Miami (14), Dec. 8 at Indiana State (14) and Dec. 21 against Fairfield (11) . UIC's 14 thefts against Miami and Indiana State are a team season high.

What's at Stake:
With a win, UIC would

• Win its third game of the season
• Win its third game all-time against NKU
• Win its Horizon League opener
• Improve to 2-3 at home

Last Time Out

• The Flames competed in the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic, facing Fairfield and Jackson State.
• UIC was defeated 68-60 by Fairfield and 72-57 by Jackson State.
• The Flames offense spread the ball around well in both games, with three players (Brittany Byrd, Taylor Toney, Kiarra Thompson) in double figures against the Tigers.
• Against the Stags, Byrd led with 16 points, followed by nine points apiece from Catera Etheridge and Jada Nneji.
• Byrd has scored in double figures in her the last six games.

Notes on the Norse

• The Norse enter Horizon League play with a 1-9 record, winning their opener against the University of Pikeville and then dropping their next nine.
• Molly Glick leads NKU's scoring efforts with an average of 9.8 points per game.
• Kailey Coffey (8.4 ppg) and Taylor Clos (9.1 ppg) also provide large offensive support, with Clos leading the team in assists (2.7 per game) and Coffey serving as runner-up on the squad in rebounds with 6.2 per game.
• The Flames won the last meeting between the two teams, taking down the Norse 73-55 at the Credit Union 1 Arena back in February.
• NKU holds the advantage all time, winning five of the seven meetings between the squads.

Up Next

• The Flames homestand continues on Sunday, Dec. 30 with Wright State.