HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball opens up the Horizon League portion of its schedule this weekend, first traveling to Chicago for a tilt with UIC. Tipoff against the Flames is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT/8 ET on Friday, Dec. 28. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse had a trio of competitive matchups at the Friar Holiday Classic to close out nonconference action, falling to La Salle, Providence and Pepperdine. NKU suffered its fourth and fifth losses of the season by a five-point margin or fewer with a 48-43 loss to the Friars and a 51-46 setback to the Waves.
Molly Glick led the Norse in scoring over the weekend with 11.7 points per game, culminating in a season-high 18 points versus Pepperdine, and was named to the all-tournament team.
Kailey Coffey also turned in an impressive weekend on the boards with 9.3 rebounds per game, including a career-high 14 caroms against the host Friars.
SCOUTING UIC: The Flames enter Horizon League play with a 2-9 record, picking up wins against Valparaiso and Evansville. UIC was picked to finish at the bottom of the league standings according to the preseason poll, but its roster features a pair of preseason second-team honorees in Brittany Byrd and Taylor Toney. The seniors are both averaging double digits in scoring, with Byrd pacing the team at 16.2 ppg while Toney is putting up 10.0 ppg. The former additionally leads the Flames with 6.4 rebounds per game and has sunk 20 of UIC's 42 made 3-poiters this season.
As a team, UIC is averaging 53.1 points per game and is allowing opponents to post 70.2 points per contest. The Flames are averaging a 35.6 shooting percentage, but just 26.3 percent from 3-point range and 59.8 percent from the charity stripe. UIC is a high-turnover team, committing 23.0 miscues a contest while forcing opponents into 17.4 turnovers a game, 8.8 come by way of steals.
NKU holds a 5-2 record all-time against the Flames in a series that started on Jan. 1, 2016, following the Norse joining the Horizon League. The teams went 1-1 last year, with NKU posting a 61-53 overtime win over the Flames on Jan. 21, 2018, while UIC claimed a 73-55 victory on its home court on Feb. 23.
