Utica, NY (12-28-12) – The Utica College women's basketball team returns to action Saturday as it heads to Madison, NJ for a non-conference match against Drew University.  The Pioneers enter the contest with a 4-5 overall record while the Rangers currently hold a 3-7 mark on the season.

The game will be available Live on Ranger Video HERE or you may follow live stats online HERE.

UC Thus Far: After opening up the season with back-to-back, convincing wins over SUNY Potsdam and The Sage Colleges, Utica fell upon hard times dropping four of its next five by an average of 15 points per defeat … The Pioneers rebounded with a 59-53 home win against Empire 8 rival Stevens on Dec. 7th to even their conference record at 1-1.

Last Time Out: UC lost a close fight to Union, 17 days ago on Dec. 11th, by a score of 47-44 in its final game headed into the Holiday break … Senior forward Meghan Fiore (Epping, NH/Epping) led the way for the Pioneers with 18 points and 11 boards posting her second straight double-double  and fourth of the season.

Fiore Scoops Weekly Awards:  Fiore was named Empire 8 Player of the Week and the College's Female Athlete of the Week both for the fifth time in her decorative career … The Epping, NH native currently leads the team and ranks fourth in the conference in scoring with 15.8 points per game ...  She is also fourth in the Empire 8 in field goal percentage (50.9%) and sixth in total rebounds (70) … Her four double-doubles currently rank 43rd in the country.

Boards, Boards, Boards: Junior forward Bridget Greenwald (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills) is making a name for herself this season crashing the boards with authority and averaging close to a double-douible on the season … Greenwald has started all nine games for UC and is currently the Empire 8 leader in rebounding averaging 10.9 per game … She is also sixth in field goal percentage (46.6%) and 19th in scoring with 9.1 points per contest. 

Miceli Earns Rookie of the Week: Freshman Mary Miceli (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) was named Empire 8 Rookie of the Week Monday for her performance over the past week on the court … Miceli had 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and added two steals as the Pioneers lost to Union College, 47-44, on Tuesday night. She also netted a team-best three 3-pointers in 36 minutes of action …On the season, Miceli has netted 72 points, grabbed 47 rebounds, and dished out 14 assists.   She is averaging eight points, 5.2 boards, and 28.2 minutes per game.  The guard also leads the team with ten 3-pointers.

Scouting the Rangers: Drew recently snapped a four game losing streak with a 30-point rout over Manhattanville College on Dec. 16th … The Rangers other two victories came in convincing fashion as they defeated Centenary College (77-53) and Baptist Bible College (63-37) by an average margin of 25 points … This season, DU occupies a 2-2  mark at home court while 1-4 on the road … Over the past five years, Drew has an compiled an overall record of 53-75 (.414%), however, has maintained a 26-32 (.448%) ledger on their home court.

Lone Battle - Local Leaders:  UC and Drew met for the first time last year in Utica, NY with the Rangers coming away with a 62-60 victory … Both coaches are local products of the Mohawk Valley and look to extend this recent tradition into an annual rivalry … Utica Head Coach Michele Davis is a graduate of Notre Dame High School and has been at the helm for 13 seasons … Davis is the program's all-time leader with 183 career victories, has made eight conference tournament appearances while averaging 16.5 wins per season over the course of the last ten seasons … Throughout her twelve year career, she has led Utica to two NCAA Tournament appearances, two conference championships and four ECAC Tournament appearances … Drew's Head Coach Brittany Gaetano went to New Hartford High School before graduating from St. Lawrence University and is in her third season at the helm of the Drew University Women's Basketball Program … In her first two seasons, the Rangers have showed steady improvement in the Landmark Conference play ... After leading the Rangers to their third-straight season with 10 or more wins in 2010-11, the Rangers tied a school mark with five Landmark Conference wins, narrowly missing a playoff spot ... Last season Drew landed two players on the Landmark All-Conference Team for the first time since the 2006-07 season.

The Road Ahead: Following Saturday's contest, UC returns to action Wednesday, Jan. 2nd 2013 as it hosts local rival SUNYIT in its first of a four-game home stand … Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at the Clark Athletic Center … The Pioneers then dive into conference play with 14 straight games against Empire 8 opponents.