CHICAGO -- UIC hits the road for a pair of road contests this weekend, beginning Thursday at Cleveland State. Tip-off inside the Wolstein Center is slated for 6 p.m. (CT).

OPENING TIP
• Damaria Franklin scored a game-high 23 points and was one of three Flames to finish in double figures as the Flames dropped a heartbreaking 66-64 decision to Youngstown State Saturday afternoon. 
• UIC ranks second in the Horizon League in assist-to-turnover ratio, dishing out 1.30 assists for every turnover the team commits. The Flames sit right behind Thursday's opponent, Cleveland State, who averages 1.34 assists to every turnover.
• Kevin Johnson and Jalen Warren rank second and fifth, respectively, in assist-to-turnover ratio among all Horizon League players. Johnson's rate is 2.30 with Warren at 2.06.
• Kevin Johnson became the first UIC player to earn a weekly award this year when he was named the Horizon League Player of the Week on Jan. 17. The guard averaged 20.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game over three contests, shooting 59% from the field, 47.1% from 3-point range and 88.2% from the free throw line.

MATCHUP BREAKDOWN
• UIC and Cleveland State will be meeting for the first time this season and the first time since Feb. 1, 2020. The two teams were not scheduled to face each other a year ago and canceled their first meeting this year due to COVID.
• The Vikings enter the game first in the Horizon League standings at 12-2 in League play.

LIGHTS OUT SECOND HALF
• In UIC's 81-77 win over Milwaukee, the Flames shot 66.7% from the field in the second half to erase a seven-point halftime deficit.
• Kevin Johnson, limited to two points in the first half, scored 26 points in the final 20 minutes. Johnson went 9-for-10 from the field in the second period, including a perfect 6-for-6 from the 3-point line.
• Damaria Franklin, held to four first-half points, added 14 in the second half thanks to a 7-for-10 shooting effort from the field.
• The duo combined to go 16-for-20 (80%) from the field in the second half and scored 40 of UIC's 54 second-half points.

PICKED THE POCKET
• Kevin Johnson has racked up the steals during his now five-year career. Over the course of his career, Johnson has recorded 272 steals, the fifth-most among all active Division I players. Johnson's 1.97 steals per game ranks 16th among active players while his 2.23 assist-to-turnover ratio is 14th best among active players.
• Johnson has recorded at least one steal in 14 games this year, including five games in which he collected multiple steals in the contest.
• In UIC's game at Oakland on Jan. 29, Johnson recorded five steals, the most by any UIC player under head coach Luke Yaklich and the most by a UIC player since former standout Jordan Blount recorded five against Illinois State on Dec. 5, 2018.