CHICAGO -- The UIC men's basketball team begins the second half of Horizon League action Thursday evening as the Flames take on Youngstown State on the road. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. (CT) and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

3 POINT PLAY
• UIC dropped a heartbreaking 70-69 decision to Detroit Mercy (Jan. 25) to close out the first half of Horizon League play. Leading by one in the closing seconds, Detroit Mercy's Alonde LeGrand his a baseline jumper with 0.4 seconds remaining to lift the Titans past the Flames. Braelen Bridges scored a career-high 18 points on a personal-best eight made field goals while nearly finishing with a double-double with nine rebounds.
• The Flames lead the conference in blocked shots per game with 4.1 and total blocks with 91. UIC's 91 blocks this year rank 43rd nationally.
• Tarkus Ferguson is one of two active players in Division I basketball with at least 1,400 career points, 600 career rebounds and 500 career assists. He is joined by Merrimack's Juvaris Hayes.

SERIES STUFF
• UIC is looking to split the season series after Youngstown State picked up a 70-64 decision in Chicago to close the 2019 calendar. Godwin Boahen scored a team-high 15 points off the bench while Braelen Bridges added 10 points for the Flames.
• Darius Quisenberry, who scored a game-high 20 points in the first meeting this year, averages 15.6 points per game to lead the Penguins offensively. Naz Bohannon ranks second on the team in scoring (10.0) while leading the rebounding effort with 8.6 rebounds per contest.
• The win gave Youngstown State its second in a row in the series after the Flames had won the previous five meetings.

ROAD WARRIORS
• This weekend's pair of games for the Flames will wrap up a season-long five-game roadtrip. UIC will play its first home game since a 76-72 win over Wright State (Jan. 12) on Feb. 6 when the Flames play host to Milwaukee.
• The Flames will end the season playing five of their final seven games in the comforts of their home arena.

LEADERS OF THE PACK
• Looking at the Horizon League schools in conference play, UIC leads in a number of statistical categories.
• In conference-only games, the Flames lead the league in field goal percentage (.465), field goal percentage defense (.402), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.260), rebounds allowed (33.8), defensive rebounds collected (26.9), while ranking tied for first in blocked shots (4.89).
• Individually, Tarkus Ferguson paces his counterpart in 3-point field goal percentage in league-only games, shooting at a .455 clip.

THE ROUT IS ON
• UIC dominated from the opening tip in an 80-50 rout of Oakland on Jan. 23.
• The victory, UIC's third consecutive conference win, was the Flames' first road win by 30 or more points since a 77-44 victory at Detroit on Jan. 18, 2003. The win also marked UIC's first win by 30+ points in any venue since a 84-45 home win over Trinity Christian on Dec. 23, 2017.
• UIC set season highs in 3-point field goals (12), made field goals (33), field goal percentage (60.0%), assists (25) and margin of victory (+30).
• The win marked the third-ever win by UIC over Oakland.