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The Utica College men's basketball team (8-8, 2-6 Empire 8) is set to face Empire 8 Conference rivals Elmira and Ithaca. The Pioneers will welcome the Soaring Eagles Thursday night at the Clark Athletic Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. On Saturday, UC will travel to Ithaca College to challenge the Bombers at Ben Light Gymnasium in an afternoon game scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

The Pioneers have fell upon hard times as of late and look to snap a three-game losing streak tonight on their home court against Elmira. Utica's only two conference wins came at home against first place Ithaca and on the road against RIT.

Elmira is last in the conference with a record of 0-10 (1-18 overall). Last year, the team's split the regular season series, with each team winning on the road by 14 points. Headed into last season, UC was 8-0 against Elmira over the last five years, with an average margin of victory of 20+ points.

Ithaca, on the other hand, is tied for first in Empire 8 play with a record of 8-2 (15-4 overall). On Jan. 11, UC beat the Bombers, 85-81, at the Clark Athletic Center. Last year, Ithaca won both games and now has the advantage in heads up play, since the 2005-06 season, with a record of 6-4 against the Pioneers.

UC is led by senior guard James Patterson (Poughkeepsie, NY/Poughkeepsie) who ranks among the top five conference leaders in five different categories. Patterson is first in steals (2.94 pg), third in assists (4.19 pg), fourth in three-point percentage (.433) and minutes played (34.94 mpg), and fifth in scoring (16.3 ppg).

Senior sixth-man Robert Whyte (Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock Township) has been solid of late and recently earned himself a starting role. Whyte leads the team and is fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (.567). He also leads the team in blocks with 14 and is second in rebounds, averaging almost five per game (4.9 rpg).

The Pioneers remaining schedule features six conference games, of which four will be on the road. On Tuesday, Feb. 8 UC will welcome Hartwick to its home court before going on the road for three consecutive games.