CHICAGO – The UIC women's basketball team (1-1) will tie a bow on the non-conference portion of its schedule on Saturday, Dec. 5 as it faces Western Michigan (0-0). The Flames and Broncos are set to tipoff at 6 p.m. CT.

WITH A WIN, UIC WOULD:

• Win their second-straight road game
• Improve to 2-1 on the season
• Take a 7-6 all-time series lead over Western Michigan
• Win back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 16-18, 2017

LAST TIME OUT

• UIC picked up its first win of the season on Sunday, Nov. 29, taking a 66-62 road win at Eastern Michigan.
• UIC bounced back from some early shooting woes in the first period to eventually lead by as many as eight in the early stages of the third quarter. The Flames were able to keep a fighting Eastern Michigan squad at bay through the remainder of the game, sealing the deal on a trip to the charity stripe from Daijah Smith with 14 seconds left on the clock.
• UIC's freshmen were the stars of the show, led by a 16-point performance from freshman Keona Schenck behind 4-of-8 shooting beyond the arc.
• Freshman Kristian Young turned in the first double-double for the Flames of the season, tallying 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
• UIC's defense held Eastern Michigan without a three-pointer for the entirety of the game (0-for-15), while shooting 31.8 percent (7-for-22) beyond the arc themselves. Keona Schenck's four threes are the most by a UIC player since Kimeira Burks sank four threes on Jan. 17, 2020 at Milwaukee.

FAMILIAR FACES

• Freshmen twins Keona and Kennady Schenck will be reuniting with former teammate Tiana Jackson this season, as the trio will be reunited on the collegiate level after competing together at Franklin High School from 2016-19.
• The Warriors took home two Somerset County Championships, three sectional championships and the three Group Four Title State Championships while Keona, Kennady and Jackson were on the roster.
• The 2019 Franklin squad, which featured all three players, went undefeated (34-0) making both New Jersey and Franklin High School history. The Warriors ranked No. 12 in the nation and No. 1 in the state of New Jersey in 2019.
• Franklin was also ranked No. 1 in the state of New Jersey in 2017 and No. 2 in 2018.
• The trio also helped Franklin to a pair of Tournament of Champions titles in 2017 and 2019, while the 2018 squad finished as Tournament of Champions Runner-up.

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS

• Saturday's game will be the first of the season for Western Michigan. The 2019-20 Broncos finished 18-13 overall with a 10-8 mark in Mid-American Conference play.
• Western Michigan advanced to the MAC Tournament quarterfinals and also captured 10 wins at home for the first time since the 2014-15 season last year.
• Senior Reilly Jacobson will be a key returner for WMU after averaging 6.0 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game in 2019-20.
• Western Michigan's 2020-21 roster boasts five newcomers: Lauren Ross, Megan Wagner, Hannah Spitzley, Gabi Saxman and Florida Atlantic transfer Abby Voss.
• The all-time series between the Flames and Broncos stands tied at 6-6 after Western Michigan took an 80-52 win last year (Dec. 8) at Credit Union 1 Arena.