GAME NOTES: The Dayton Flyers return home on Saturday afternoon to take on the Illinois-Chicago Flames in non-conference action at UD Arena.

After an 0-3 trip in the Men Against Breast Cancer Classic last weekend, UIC redeemed itself on Tuesday with an 87-76 win over St. Xavier. Despite the victory, the Flames have still had a rough first month of the season, winning just two of six matchups.

Dayton took part in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic last week and advanced to the semifinals following an opening-round victory over Texas A&M (55-53). The Flyers' quest for championship glory came to an end with a 75-64 loss to Connecticut, but they were able to capture third place by beating Boston College (65-53) to improve to 3-1 on the season.

The programs met just once before, with Dayton winning in UD Arena on Dec. 23, 2011, 64-57.

The Flames did what was expected of them against a lower-level opponent earlier in the week, as they shot 43.5 percent from the field (including 9- of-21 from 3-point range) and knocked down 24-of-34 at the free-throw line on their way to the 11-point victory. Leading the way in the winning effort was Jake Wiegand with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Tai Odiase also tallied a double- double with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go with four blocks, and Jay Harris added 16 points while connecting on 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.

UIC is typically lackluster on both ends of the floor, as it shoots less than 39 percent from the field for 67.2 ppg while giving up 71.2 ppg on 43.7 percent shooting. It's able to make up for some of its inefficiencies with a stellar team free-throw percentage (.796). Wiegand scores a team-best 17.3 ppg on 54.5 percent from the field and is a nightly double-double threat with 8.7 rpg. Harris is the only other player in double figures with 16.3 ppg, with Paris Burns (8.7 ppg) the next-best scoring option.

In the third-place game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, the Flyers built a seven- point halftime lead, and although Boston College battled back to tie the game several times in the second half, the Flyers never surrendered the lead. They shot a modest 42.6 percent from the field on the day but held Boston College to a mere 34 percent shooting while forcing it into just as many turnovers as field goals (17). Jordan Sibert was on fire from 3-point range (5-of-9) on his way to a game-high 20 points. Dyshawn Pierre chipped in across the board with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Devon Scott chipped in with 10 points.

Outstanding defense has been Dayton's calling card in the early season, as it holds opponents just 58.3 ppg on a lowly 36.7 percent from the field, an effort that is strong enough to mask its own deficiencies on the offensive end of the court (65.0 ppg, .417 FG percentage). Transcending the struggles of most of his teammates is Pierre (14.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg), who makes greater than 54 percent of his field goal attempts. Sibert's (14.0 ppg) success is mostly predicated on volume, as he shoots less than 35 percent overall.

Dayton, which has won six in a row on its home floor, will likely have no problem stifling an underwhelming UIC squad in this one.