CHICAGO – The UIC women's basketball team (3-24, 1-15 HL) begins its final weekend of the regular season as it hosts Horizon League foe Milwaukee (14-13, 9-7 HL) on Thursday, Feb. 28. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT inside the Credit Union 1 Arena.
Thursdays contest will also serve as the annual Pink Game, honoring and remembering those who have been affected by breast cancer.
Starting Five
- Brittany Byrd has put up 19 points in her last two outings to move into 14th place all-time in UIC's scoring record book. The senior is now up to 1,127 points and she ranks fourth in the Horizon League in scoring, averaging 13.8 points per game.
- Jada Nneji has 14 multi-block showings this season and has blocked five or more on five occasions. The standout forward owns 66 blocks this season, 56 of which have come against Horizon League opponents. Nneji is tied for 13th in the country in total blocks, and her 2.9 blocks per game average leads the Horizon League and comes in at sixth in the nation.
- Kiarra Thompson is second on the squad in both points (171) and makes (56), and has been showing great improvement beyond the arc, making at least one three pointer in 11 of the last 12 games. Thompson contributed eight points on Saturday vs. IUPUI, six of which came from beyond the arc.
- The Flames are third in the League in three-point field goal defense, containing opponents to just 28.9 percent shooting from downtown. UIC has kept the opposition under 35 percent from three-point range in 20 of its 27 contests this year.
- UIC ranks fifth in the League in steals, averaging 8.00 steals per game. The Flames are also third in the conference in blocks, making an average of 3.80 stops per contest.
What's at Stake:
With a win, UIC would:
- Win its fourth game of the season
- Snap a seven-game skid vs. Milwaukee
- Capture its second Horizon League win
- Surpass last year's Horizon League win total
- Improve to 3-9 at home
Panther Points
- Milwaukee has won its last two games, defeating Detroit Mercy 59-34 on Thursday, Feb. 21 before defeating Oakland on Saturday, Feb. 23, 83-53.
- The Panthers are the Horizon League's top three-point shooting team, sinking 33.9 percent of their shots beyond the arc.
- Milwaukee also leads the conference in blocked shots, averaging 5.10 stops per game as a team.
- Megan Walstad averages 10.8 points per game to lead the Panther offense, while Ryaen Johnson averages 5.7 rebounds per game to lead the category. McKaela Schmelzer is averaging 3.8 assists per game to lead the squad and rank fourth in the Horizon League.
- The Panthers have taken the last seven meetings against UIC, and own a 35-22 advantage all-time against the Flames.
Up Next
