CHICAGO – The UIC women's basketball team (2-12, 0-3 HL) will complete its first Horizon League road trip on Saturday, Jan. 5 as they take on Cleveland State (5-9, 2-1 HL). The Flames and Vikings will tipoff at 12 p.m. CT inside Cleveland State's Wolstein Center.

Starting Five

• Sophomore Jada Nneji has been a valuable asset for the Flames on both offense and defense, leading the team in both points (8) and rebounds (8) on Thursday at Youngstown State. For the defense, Nneji ranks second in the Horizon League in blocks, averaging 1.5 blocks per game.
• Freshman Jasmine Gaines has made the starting lineup in all but one game for UIC, posting a personal-best six rebounds on Thursday against the Penguins. Gaines comes in at fourth on the team in steals (0.9 per game) and sixth in points (40) in her first season in a Flames jersey.
• Senior Brittany Byrd ranks third in the League in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game. Byrd anchors UIC's offense, leading the squad in scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounds (6.4 per game) attempts (186), and makes (80).
• The Flames are fourth in the League in steals, averaging 8.6 thefts per game. Brittany Byrd and Taylor Toney lead in thieves, averaging 1.5 steals per game to land in a tie for ninth in the League.
• UIC is also fourth in blocks, stopping an average of 3.10 stops per game. Nneji leads the way for UIC, tallying multi-block performances in her last four showings.

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

• Win its third game of the season
• Snap a five-game skid vs. Cleveland State
• Capture its first Horizon League Win
• Improve to 2-5 on the road

Last Time Out

• UIC opened its first Horizon League road trip with an 81-29 loss to Youngstown State.
• The Penguins made 49.2 percent of their shots, the highest by a Horizon League opponent since Milwaukee made an identical 49.2 percent against the Flames back on Jan. 15, 2018.
• The Flames were held to just 19 percent shooting from the field, resulting in a season-low 29 points.

Scouting Cleveland State

• The Vikings are off to a 2-1 start in Horizon League action, most recently falling to IUPUI, 75-50.
• Cleveland State comes in third in scoring offense (68.7 ppg), but eighth in scoring defense (69.2 ppg).
• The Vikings are the top shooting team in the League, boasting a 42.2 field goal percentage as a team.
• Cleveland State's offense is supported by four players averaging above 10.0 points per game, Mariah Miller (16.2 ppg), Jade Ely (15.0 ppg), Mariah White (11.8 ppg) and Savanna Crocket (11.2 ppg).
• Crocket is the top rebounder, averaging 9.4 rebounds per game, while Miller also comes up big on the boards with 7.6 rebounds per game.
• The Vikings own a 41-33 all-time advantage over the Flames, winning the last five meetings between the two teams.

Up Next

• UIC returns home to welcome Oakland (Jan. 11) and Detroit Mercy (Jan. 13) to the Credit Union 1 Arena.