Utica, NY (1/22/14) – The Utica College men's basketball team (6-9, 1-5 E8) will host a pair of Empire 8 Conference home games this weekend against Hartwick College and Stevens Institute of Technology. UC takes on Hartwick on Friday at 6 p.m. and follows that up with a contest against Stevens on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Game Coverage: Live video for all home games is available at empire8.tv… Links for live stats for this weekend's contests are available on the Pioneers' schedule page at www.ucpioneers.com... Friday's game against Hartwick can be heard on the radio on ESPN Radio 99.1 FM & WPNR 90.7 FM.

Social Media: If you can't make it out to the game, make sure to follow live updates on the Pioneers official Twitter feed, @UCPioneers… If you are at the game and on Twitter, or talking about the game on Twitter, make sure to use #letsgoUC… You can also "Like" the Pioneers on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UCpioneers.

Last Game: UC did not have any magic last Saturday when the Pioneers traveled to St. John Fisher and were handed an 83-65 loss... Freshman Kendall Brown (Queens, NY/Benjamin Cardozo) led UC with 15 points while shooting 3-for-3 from behind the arc... St. John Fisher had a balanced scoring attack with five different players in double figures.

Empire 8 Team Stats: In the conference, Utica ranks fourth in points per game averaging 77.8, fourth in field goal percentage (45.7), second in offensive rebounds per game (12.7), and fourth in defensive rebounds per game (26.8).

Scoring Duo: Two Pioneers are averaging double figures... Junior point guard Aaron Nevins (Buffalo, NY/Canisius) leads the team in points per game (19.0), followed by senior Chris Jeffers (Albany, NY/Bishop Maginn) (12.6).

Freshman to Watch: Kendall Brown (Queens, NY/Benjamin Cardozo) scored 15 points against St. John Fisher last week, going 3-for-3 from behind the arc and 4-for-4 at the free-throw line... Earlier in the season, he scored 12 points in a loss to Widener University... Brown is shooting .485 on 3-point shots (16-33) and is 80% from the charity strip (8-10).

Empire 8 Individual Stats: Nevins is third in the conference in points per game (19.0), while Jeffers is 15th (12.6)… Jeffers is third in the E8 with 9.3 rebounds per game, and sits seventh in assists per game (3.1)…  Nevins is third in assists (3.9), and fifth in steals per game (1.9), while junior Marty Felicia (Phoenix, NY/Phoenix) is ninth with an average of 6.8 boards and .70 blocked shots per contest.

Stats Against Hartwick: The Pioneers lost their first game to Hartwick on the road this season by a score of 92-77... Last season, UC won both games against the Hawks... The first, a 75-72 victory on the road behind Connor Maisch's 25 points, and the second, a home 90-77 win led by a 23-point, eight rebound outing by Chris Jeffers (Albany, NY/Bishop Maginn).

Hawks Report: Hartwick is off to a 10-6 start and is 5-1 in the Empire 8… The Hawks are coming to Utica winning two games at home 131-124 in overtime to Alfred University and 96-82 to Houghton College... They rank second in the conference in scoring (84.3) and first in field goal percentage (.477)... The team is led by Jared Suderley, who leads the conference in scoring (20.2), rebounding (10.6), and free-throw percentage (.875).

Stats Against Stevens: The Pioneers lost their first game to Stevens on the road this season with an 81-67 final... Last season, UC dropped both meetings against the Ducks by scores of 72-59 and 85-77.

Duck Report: Stevens is off to a 10-5 start and is 4-2 in the Empire 8...  The Ducks are coming to Utica after a home win against Alfred University, 102-85... They are currently 7-2 at home and 3-3 on the road… Stevens has a balanced scoring attack with four players averaging double figures... Senior Matt Skrelja has had an impressive season so far... In 13 games, he is averaging 13.5 points, 2.5 steals, 4.6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game.

Looking Ahead: Following this weekend's double-header UC will host conference opponent Alfred University next Friday at 6 p.m... On Saturday, the Pioneers will travel to Elmira College for a 2 p.m. tip-off... It is the first meeting of the season between the Pioneers and Saxons. The Soaring Eagles edged UC 53-49 earlier this season.


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