The Utica College men's basketball team out scored Hamilton 38-24 in the second half on its way to a 60-48 victory in the 100th meeting of the two programs dating back to 1948. After a dismal first half by both teams that resulted in 46 combined points, the Pioneers came out strong in the second half to improve to 4-1 overall. Senior forward Pat Goodman (Marcy, N.Y.) scored 17 points, all in the second half, while junior point guard James Patterson (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) added 16 points and five assists for the Pioneers.

With the win the Pioneers improved to 4-1 overall and the Continentals, who were missing several key players due to injury, have now lost three in a row and dropped to 2-3 on the year. In the 61-year history of the rivalry, Hamilton owns a 73-27 all-time series advantage.

The first half was a bit sloppy and it was proven in the box score as the Continentals turned the ball over eight times and tallied just two assists, while the Pioneers turned the ball over seven times and notched one assist. Hamilton shot 35% (9-of-26) from the floor in the first half compared to the Pioneers 29% (8-of-28) shooting performance.

Most of the action occurred in the second half and Utica used a 22-8 run over the course of 10:32 to open the half as they took a 12 point lead, 44-32, with 9:28 to go in the contest. The Pioneers extended their lead to as many as 16 points with 5:41 to go, and they would not relinquish the lead, as they handed the Continentals their third loss of the season.

The contest featured 11 lead changes with ten of those coming in the first half of play. Once the Pioneers took a three point lead, 27-24, just 1:09 into the second half of play they never looked back and held the lead for the remainder of the contest. The Pioneers also used 12 points off of Hamilton turnovers in the second half to sustain the lead.

Hamilton's sophomore leading scorer Pat Sullivan (Madison, N.J.) paved the way for the Continentals once again with 17 points and six rebounds, while junior Dayne Harris (Little River, S.C.) totaled 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Senior Jay Simpson (Fort Washington, Md.) added seven points and five assists.

UC junior forward Will Abrams (Somerset, N.J.) had an excellent night, scoring 13 points, including a thunderous dunk in the first half, and he also went 2-for-5 from 3-point land. Freshman guard Kevin Johnson (Cambria Heights, N.Y.) notched nine points off the bench.

Utica returns to action on Sunday when they open up Empire 8 Conference play on the road against Nazareth College at 2 p.m. Hamilton will host Elmira College at Scott Field House next Tuesday when they square off against the Soaring Eagles at 8 p.m.

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