GAME NOTES: The Illinois-Chicago Flames come limping into Welsh-Ryan Arena on Monday afternoon for a non-conference tilt against Northwestern.

UIC has lost two straight and five of its last six games overall. The Flames are coming off Wednesday's 67-46 setback to SMU in Dallas. This contest marks the second leg of the team's three-game road trip.

Meanwhile, Northwestern has won two of its last three outings following a three-game slide. The Wildcats were in action Saturday against Western Michigan as they claimed a 67-61 victory. Following this tilt, the Wildcats will wrap up a five-game homestand, and their non-conference schedule, against Northern Kentucky on Saturday.

The Flames have won four of the last five head-to-head meetings with Northwestern, although the all-time series is tied, 4-4. The Wildcats went on the road last November and roughed up UIC by a 93-58 final.

The final score may not indicate it, but UIC was within four points against SMU with less than 14 minutes to play. However, the Mustangs went on to outscore the Flames, 17-5, down the stretch. For the game, UIC shot just 26.6 percent from the floor while SMU shot 53.7 percent. The Mustangs also owned a 43-27 rebounding advantage. Marc Brown was the lone double-figure scorer for UIC, finishing with 15 points in the loss.

Jay Harris, last week's Horizon League Player of the Week, had only six points on 2-of-8 shooting. The fifth-year transfer from Wagner is averaging a team- best 15.8 ppg through his first nine games with the Flames, and that mark also ranks eighth in the HL. Junior Jake Wiegand is averaging 13.1 points and a team-best 8.0 rebounds, up from 7.5 ppg and 5.1 rpg last season as a sophomore.

Three players are averaging double figures for Northwestern, led by Alex Olah with 11.3 points and 7.5 boards per game. Tre Demps (10.9 ppg) and Bryant McIntosh (10.0) are first and second on the team in field-goal attempts, although they are shooting only a combined 36.7 percent from the floor. The Wildcats have generally struggled to stretch defenses, as they are just 33.6 percent from the perimeter as a team.

Demps scored a game-high 17 points against Western Michigan, and the redshirt junior guard was instrumental during NU's second-half surge. The 'Cats trailed by three at the break, but they shot 50 percent from the floor in the second half and outscored WMU by nine. McIntosh joined Demps in double figures with 10 points to go along with eight assists.

Northwestern must be careful not to look ahead with Big Ten play looming around the corner. Despite their struggles to this point, the Flames are seventh in the country in made free throws, so they are the type of team that can hang around if given the chance.