CHICAGO – The UIC women's basketball team (3-19, 1-10 HL) returns home to Chicago and the Credit Union 1 Arena this weekend for a pair of Horizon League matchups. The two-game homestand gets underway on Friday with Cleveland State (9-13, 6-5 HL). Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.

Starting Five

• Kienya Jones is fresh off a big weekend, averaging 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds last weekend against Wright State and Northern Kentucky. The senior is shooting 51.4 percent from the floor as UIC's most efficient shooter as of late.
• After three-straight nine point performances, Kiarra Thompson was back in double digits for the Flames with a team-high 10 points against Northern Kentucky. Thompson is second on the squad in both points (132) and makes (44), and has also been showing improvement beyond the arc, making 13 of her 19 three-pointers this season across UIC's last seven games.
• Brittany Byrd moved up into the No. 18 spot on UIC's all-time scoring list after reaching 1,072 career points this past weekend. She passes Jacquese Gilbert and Toni Stachon (1,071 points), while moving just behind Rachel Story (1,077 points).
• The Flames rank fifth in the Horizon League in steals, averaging 8.2 thefts per contest. The Flames have recorded more steals than their opponents on six occasions and have reached double figures in steals as a team on seven occasions.
• The Flames rank third in the League in three-point field goal defense, containing opponents to just 29.2 shooting from downtown. UIC has kept the opposition under 35 percent from three-point range in 15 of its 22 contests, and UIC's opponents have shot above 40 percent from three just three times, vs. Miami (45 percent), vs. Northern Kentucky (45 percent) and at Northern Kentucky (40.9 percent).

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

• Win its fourth game of the season
• Snap a six-game losing streak vs. Cleveland State
• Capture its second Horizon League Win
• Surpass last year's Horizon League win total
• Improve to 3-7 at home

Viking Viewpoint

• Cleveland State won its second-straight game on Saturday with an eye-popping 98-90 victory over Oakland. Three Vikings ended the day with career-high point totals, Mariah Miller (29 pts), Savanna Crockett (24 pts), and JaMiya Braxton (17 pts). As a team, Cleveland State ended the day shooting 53.6 percent from the floor, sinking 37 field goals.
• The Vikings average 9.60 steals per game to lead the Horizon League, led by Mariah White's 2.2 thefts per game average.
• Miller ranks second in the League in scoring, just ahead of Byrd, averaging 15.7 points per game.
• White also makes the League's top ten, averaging 12.8 points per game to rank eighth. Crockett is conference runner-up in rebounds, pulling down an average of 8.8 boards per contest.
• Cleveland State leads the series all-time, 42-33, winning the last six meetings between the two teams.

Up Next

• UIC will wrap up its weekend at home with Youngstown State on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 12 p.m. CT.