Utica, NY (2/1/13)- The Utica College men's basketball team travels to Hoboken, NJ Friday for an Empire 8 Conference match up against Stevens Institute of Technology. Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Last Time Out: The Pioneers are coming off a 1-1 Empire 8 weekend… On Friday, UC fell to host St. John Fisher College, 79-69 behind a team-high 18 points from junior Connor Maisch… Sophomore
Aaron Nevins (Buffalo, NY/Canisius) had 16 points, and junior
Chris Jeffers (Albany, NY/Bishop Maginn) netted ten of his own… On Saturday, Utica rebounded to knock off Alfred University 86-74… Maisch netted a game-high 25 points and added ten boards while Jeffers put in 19, Nevins added 17 points and senior
Matt Baldwin (Gloversville, NY/Gloversville) chipped in with 11 points.
Where We Sit: UC is 8-12 overall and 5-5 in the Empire 8 Conference… The Pioneers are currently fourth in the conference standings behind Ithaca (8-1), Stevens (7-2), and St. John Fisher (6-4)… UC is averaging a league-best 74.6 points per game.
Maisch in National Spotlight: Junior Connor Maisch is currently second in the country in three-point percentage, shooting an impressive 51.6% from behind the arc… He leads the Empire 8 Conference (through ten conference games) in three-pointers (32) and percentage (53.3%) as well as scoring (19 pp/g), points (171) and field goals (58)… Maisch has also tallied eight performances of 20+ points while leading the squad to a 6-2 record in those games.
Helping Out: Junior
Chris Jeffers (Albany, NY/Bishop Maginn) ranks second in the conference with 8.8 rebounds per game and is fourth in field goal percentage (58.1)… Senior
Matt Baldwin (Gloversville, NY/Gloversville) is third on the team with 11.6 points per game, while sophomore
Aaron Nevins (Buffalo, NY/Canisius) is fourth averaging 11 points and a team-best 4.1 assists per contest.
Scouting Stevens: The Ducks are 16-3 (7-2 E8) and coming off a 62-55 win over Hartwick on Tuesday… Stevens is led by seniors Sheldon Jones and Russ Thompson… Jones has averaged 15.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, while Thompson is netting 14.7 points per game.
Against the Ducks: UC is 3-8 against Stevens in the last five years… The last time the Pioneers beat the Ducks was a 69-64 victory on Feb. 15, 2009… Stevens won 72-59 on Dec. 12 in the previous match up between the two teams this season… Senior
Alex Meyer (Salt Point, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) led the Pioneers with 12 points on the night.
Looking Ahead: Following Friday's contest against Stevens, the Pioneers will return home to take on Hartwick College on Tuesday night… Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
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