CHICAGO – The UIC women's basketball team (0-0) will cut the tape on the 2020-21 season on Wednesday, Nov. 25 as it travels to in-state rival Eastern Illinois (0-0). The Flames and Panthers will tip off at noon CT inside the Panthers' Lantz Arena. Due to current public health regulations, fans are not permitted inside of Lantz Arena. Instead, fans are encouraged to watch a live stream of Wednesday's contest on ESPN+.

WITH A WIN, UIC WOULD:

• Begin the season 1-0
• Improve to 16-17 all-time against Eastern Illinois
• Win its first road game of the year
• Win its season opener for the sixth time in the last seven years

STRONG SOPHOMORES

• After successful freshmen seasons, sophomores Kimeira Burks and Tiana Jackson are back in the lineup for the 2020-21 season.
• Burks led the team in field goal attempts (307), three-point field goal attempts (148), and three-point field goals made (35) in 2019-20.
• Burks also finished the 2019-20 season second in points (236), steals (34) and rebounds (126).
• Burks was one of just two players last season to see action in all 30 games. The Chicago, Ill. native lead the team with 876 minutes in 2019-20, giving her an average of 29.2 minutes on the floor per game.
• Jackson racked up 194 points in the 2019-20 campaign, good for fourth most on the squad.
• The Somerset, NJ native also finished last season with the second-most assists, handing out 69 helpers in the 2019-20 season.
• Sophomores Shelby Case (72 pts, 53 rebs), Ahsha Spencer (55 pts, 19 rebs) and Amira Coles (50 pts, 40 rebs) are also back for the Flames this season.
• Redshirt sophomore Daijah Smith will also be making her on-court debut for the Flames.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

• UIC's roster boasts four seniors this season in Jealissa Presswood, Kiarra Thompson, Abreanna Lake and Jada Nneji.
• The Flames' four seniors combined to make up 44 percent of their scoring last season.
• Nneji paced the Flames in points (299), field goal percentage (43.2 percent), steals (38) field goals made (120) and rebounds (191) in 2019-20.
• Lake led the team last season with 82 assists, averaging 2.7 helpers per game. She also joined Nneji at the top of the steals list in 2019-20 with 38 takeaways.
• Thompson finished the 2019-20 season with 116 points, 51 of which came beyond the arc. The senior finished the year ranked second in both three-point field goal attempts (71) and three-point field goals made (17).
• Presswood racked up 127 points in 2019-20, good for fifth-most on the squad. she also tallied 117 rebounds and handed out the third-most assists with 34.

APPROACHING A MILESTONE

• Senior Jada Nneji is approaching the all-time career blocks record, currently standing in third with 144 career blocks.
• Nneji is just 20 blocks shy of the all-time record of 164, currently owned by Cassie Johnson (2006-10).
• Nneji led both the Flames and the Horizon League in blocks in 2019-20, averaging 2.1 blocks per game to rank 32nd in the nation.
• Nneji's 58 blocks in 2019-20 were fourth-most in single-season history. She also owns the second-highest single season block total (70), which she set as a sophomore in 2018-19.
• The Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada native took home Horizon League All-Defensive Team honors last season for the second-straight year.
• The senior blocked two or more on 15 occasions and four or more five occasions in 2019-20.

FIVE NEW FLAMES

• UIC welcomed five new Flames for the 2020-21 season in freshmen Keona Schenck, Kennady Schenck, Jaida McCloud, Kristian Young and Lindsey Rogers.
• Twin sisters Keona and Kennady Schenck hail from Somerset, NJ and attended Franklin High School alongside sophomore Tiana Jackson.
• The twins helped Franklin High School to two Somerset County Championships, four sectional championships and three Group Four Title State Championships during their tenure.
• Keona touted over 1,000 career points and picked up All-State honors, while Kennady compiled over 800 career points during her time at Franklin. Both Schencks were named to the Jersey Sports Zone All-Zone Team in 2019.
• McCloud (Peoria, Ill.) and Rogers (Naperville, Ill.) are both Illinois natives, while Young made her way to Chicago from Indianapolis, Ind.
• McCloud boasts a decorated prep career that includes three Big 12 Conference First Team honors (2018, 2019 and 2020), two Peoria Journal Star All-Area First Team awards (2018, 2019), and two Illinois AP 3A Second Team All-State honors (2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons).
• McCloud was also an IBCA Girls Basketball Class 3A/4A Third Team All-State honoree for both the 2017-18 season and the 2018-19 season and she was named an IBCA Girls Basketball Class 3A/4A Second Team All-State honoree for the 2019-20 campaign.
• Rogers helped Benet Academy to three conference titles, four regional titles, two sectional tiles, one super-sectional title and a fourth-place finish in the 2019 Class 4A State Finals.
• Individually, Rogers is a two-time Naperville Sun All-Area honoree (2018-19, 2019-20), a member of the 2020 Voyager Media Prep Shoot Out All-Star Team and is the 2019-20 Regional three-point champion. Rogers also excelled in the classroom, earning a spot on the Honor Roll in all eight semesters at Benet Academy.
• Young attended Lawrence North High School and helped the Wildcats to a State Championship, a Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (MIC) Championship and a Marion County Championship in 2020.
• The Indianapolis, Ind. native was named Lawrence North Athlete of the Year and ranked in the top-60 of all Indiana Players. Young was also named a junior All-Star, a senior All-Star and took home All-MIC honors. Young was also a strong student, ranking in the top-30 academically at Lawrence North.

UP NEXT

• The Flames will make their way to Ypsilanti, Mich. to take on Eastern Michigan on Sunday, Nov. 29.