Utica, NY (12-2-11) – The Utica College women's basketball team is scheduled for two games, in three days, starting Saturday afternoon when it travels across town to battle local rival Hamilton College at 2 p.m..  The Pioneers will then host Cazenovia College for a 6 p.m. tip-off at the Clark Athletic Center on Monday evening.

The Match-Up's:  Utica is currently 3-2 overall after coming off a convincing win over Wells College on Tuesday … The Pioneers are 1-2 on the road resulting from consecutive losses to Skidmore  and Oneonta State … Hamilton College is currently 2-3 on the season with a home record of 1-2 … The Continentals beat Elmira College 59-40 and lost to Skidmore and Union by margins of 13 and 10 … Cazenovia is coming off its first win of the season as they recently edged Hilbert 47-46 … The Wildcats opened up their season with back-to-back losses of 33 and 20 points to Nazareth and Brockport.

UC vs. Hamilton in Recent Years: In nine games dating back to the 2002-03 season, Hamilton holds an 8-2 advantage over UC in heads-up play with an average margin of victory of 13 points … The Pioneers last beat the Continentals, 60-52, back on Nov. 29, 2005 … As for the Wildcats, Utica has won nine-straight since the 2002-03 season, outscoring them by 27.1 points per game … Caz's last victory over UC came on Dec. 11, 2002 by a score of 66-51.

Last Time Out: The Pioneers traveled to Aurora, NY last Tuesday and romped the Wells Express by 28 points, 76-48, as the program's met for the first time on the court … UC was led junior forward Meghan Fiore (Epping, NH/Epping) who dropped 28 points, on 12-of-20 from the floor, and snagged nine rebounds … Senior guard Katie McGee (Philadelphia, PA/Nazareth) complimented Fiore with 19 points of her own, along with eight assists and six boards.

McGee/Fiore Lead the Way: McGee is running the point and has been spectacular thus far as she sits atop the competitive Empire 8 in all major categories … McGee leads the E8 in assists (6.7 Avg/G), defensive rebounds (6.3 Avg/G) and minutes played (40 Avg/G) … Accompanying McGee is sophomore Meghan Fiore (Epping, NH/Epping) who has averaged 18 points per game to go along with 7.5 boards, both of which lead the squad.

Playing Big Roles: Freshman Samantha Stayer (Allegany, NY/Allegany-Limestone) and sophomore Alyssa Filkins (Castleton, NY/Maple Hill) have combined for an average of 17 points per game … Stayer is a force in the paint averaging 9.4 points and 4.0 boards per contest as she maintains a .471 field goal percentage … Filkins is fourth on the team in scoring with a 7.6 points per game and second behind McGee in assists (2.0 Avg/G) and steals (1.2 Avg/G).

Overall League Standings: The Empire 8 Conference will open up league play after returning from winter break … Opening weekend is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 6 and Saturday, Jan. 7 as the programs will compete on back-to-back days against different opponents … Presently, Ithaca sits atop the standings with an undefeated mark of 5-0 with Alfred University in second with a 4-1 record … Utica and Hartwick share third place with a 3-2 ledger with Nazareth a half game behind in fifth at 3-3 ... St. John Fisher holds a 2-3 record occupying sixth place while Stevens trails in seventh at 2-4 … Elmira rounds out the standings with an 0-5 overall record in tenth.

Back to the Hardwood: UC returns to action, following these two contests, Friday, Dec. 9 as it travels to Troy, NY to face RPI … Then, on Tuesday, Dec. 13 the Pioneers will welcome Union College in their final contest before a three-week rest … Rensselaer is currently 3-2 with both losses coming in overtime, while Union maintains a 2-2 record including wins over Hartwick and St. John Fisher.