Earnest leads Valparaiso against UIC after 27-point performance

Valparaiso Beacons (5-12, 2-5 MVC) at UIC Flames (5-11, 2-5 MVC)

Chicago; Sunday, 3 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Valparaiso visits UIC after Leah Earnest scored 27 points in Valparaiso's 59-52 victory against the Bradley Braves.

The Flames have gone 4-4 in home games. UIC averages 15.2 turnovers per game and is 3-2 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents.

The Beacons are 2-5 in MVC play. Valparaiso ranks ninth in the MVC shooting 31.4% from 3-point range.

UIC is shooting 44.1% from the field this season, 1.0 percentage point higher than the 43.1% Valparaiso allows to opponents. Valparaiso's 41.8% shooting percentage from the field this season is 3.1 percentage points lower than UIC has allowed to its opponents (44.9%).

The Flames and Beacons face off Sunday for the first time in MVC play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Makiyah Williams is shooting 38.9% from beyond the arc with 1.3 made 3-pointers per game for the Flames, while averaging 11.5 points. Arin Freeman is shooting 38.5% and averaging 8.4 points over the past 10 games.

Earnest is averaging 17.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals for the Beacons. Nevaeh Jackson is averaging 12.4 points and 1.7 steals over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Flames: 3-7, averaging 64.6 points, 29.4 rebounds, 11.7 assists, 7.7 steals and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 43.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.0 points per game.

Beacons: 3-7, averaging 62.2 points, 25.0 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 9.9 steals and 3.2 blocks per game while shooting 39.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 70.8 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.