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Utica, NY (1-3-13 – The Utica College women's basketball team is set for a three-game home stretch in Empire 8 Conference play beginning Friday ... The Pioneers will welcome St. John Fisher College on Friday, Alfred University on Saturday and then Ithaca College on Tuesday.

UC Set for E8 Action: The Pioneers are currently 5-6 overall while holding a 1-1 mark in the conference … After opening up the season with two convincing wins, Utica fell upon hard times losing four of its next five by an average of 15 points per game … However, UC got back on track going 2-2 in its next four battles including wins over Stevens Institute of Technology (59-53) at home and Drew University (67-64) on the road … The two losses came right down to the wire as UC lost 47-44 on the road at Union College and most recently to SUNYIT, 76-70 … The Pioneers have 14 regular season games remaining and all are against Empire 8 opponents.

Miceli Taking Off: Freshman guard Mary Miceli (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) is really stepping up her game heading into a crucial stretch of conference games … Recently named E8 Rookie of the Week, Miceli is averaging 18 points, 5.3 boards and 3.3 steals over her last three games while leading UC to a 2-1 record … The New Rochelle native is coming off a career night on Wednesday with a 27 point outing to go along with her seven grabs and five steals.

R.B. in the Mix: Freshman guard Racquel Baudanza (Staten Island, NY/New Dorp) complimented Miceli at the guard on Wednesday and dropped a career-high 19 points in her first start for the Pioneers … In her last two games, she has tallied 23 and 30 minute performances while netting 10 and 19 points, respectively … On Wednesday, she knocked down 8-of-10 free throws and dished off three assists along with her scoring display.

Cardinal Scouting Report: St. John Fisher is presently in first place in the early standings with a 2-0 record in the E8 … After opening up the season with three straight losses, the Cardinals streaked five wins over their last eight games including two conference wins against Alfred and Elmira … Fisher downed Alfred by 20 points, 63-43, back on Dec. 4th before squeaking by Elmira, 66-64 in overtime, at home on Dec. 7th … The Cardinals are 0-2 on the road while 4-1 on their home court so far this season … Over the last six seasons, Fisher has compiled a record of 32-36 away from home.

Getting Familiar with the Saxons: Alfred University currently maintains a 4-5 overall record while 0-1 in the E8 … The Saxons opened up their campaign with back-to-back losses however came back with four straight convincing victories over Penn College, Hilbert, Wells and Cazenovia … Recently, AU has dropped its last three games by an average of 23 points per defeat.

UC vs. the Opposition: Over the last six seasons, UC has managed an 8-4 record over St. John Fisher however has lost the last three games …UC last beat Fisher back on Jan. 7, 2011 by a score of 77-66 at home … The Pioneers own the series with the Saxons on the court as they have won 14 straight over the course of the last seven seasons.

Around the League: The conference standings are as follow: St. John Fisher (5-6, 2-0 Empire 8) is currently in first place with Ithaca (8-1, 1-0 Empire 8) and Hartwick (7-3, 1-0 Empire 8) trailing in a tie for second … UC (5-6, 1-1 Empire 8) presently occupies fourth solely while Nazareth maintains sixth and has not yet competed in conference play … Alfred (4-5, 0-1 Empire 8) and Stevens (3-6, 0-1 Empire 8) are tied in seventh and Elmira (4-5, 0-2 Empire 8) rounds out the standings in eighth place.

The Road Ahead: Following the three-game home stand, over the next five days, UC will prepare for a two-game road weekend starting Friday Jan. 11th … The Pioneers will then wrap up the season with seven of their final 11 games on the road … Since the 2005-06 season, Utica has managed a 53-38 ledger away from its home court.