UTICA, NY- The Utica College women's basketball team returns to action this weekend on the road for two games in Empire 8 Conference play. The Pioneers will take on the Bombers of Ithaca College on Friday at 6 p.m. and the St. John Fisher Cardinals Saturday at 2 p.m.

MORE THAN JUST BASKETBALL: Last Saturday the Pioneers hosted "A Game for Brooks Miles" against Stevens Institute of Technology and raised a record $1,337.00 for Down Syndrome awareness … All proceeds from the event will benefit The 21 Club.

WHERE WE STAND: In the last seven games UC is 5-2… The Pioneers are now 9-10 overall and 5-5 in the conference placing them fourth behind Stevens (8-1), Ithaca (7-1) and St. John Fisher (6-2).

MICELI TAKES CHARGE: Utica junior guard Mary Miceli (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) ranks eighth in the conference with an average of 13.3 points per game … Miceli is averaging 1.7 3-point field goals made per game … She ranks sixth in the conference with 252 total points.

REBOUNDING MACHINE: Utica's Bridget Greenwald (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills) ranks second in the conference with an average of 9.0 rebounds per game … She also ranks third on the team with 8.5 points per game. 

FIRST YEAR IMPACT PLAYERS: Freshmen Amanda Henderson (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph by the Sea) is second on the team with 16 3-pointers … Ashley Mayo (Nanuet, NY/Nanuet) ranks fifth on the team with 7.0 points per game.

STAYER IN THE TOP 15: Senior forward Samantha Stayer (Allegany, NY/Allegany-Limestone) ranks in the top 15 in the Empire 8 in both scoring and rebounding … Stayer is currently 11^th in the conference with an average of 6.3 rebounds per game and she ranks 15^th with an average of 10.3 points per game.

E8 ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Freshman Ashley Mayo (Nanuet, NY/Nanuet) was named the Empire 8 Conference Rookie of the Week on Monday for the second time this season … In three games, Mayo totaled 28 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, and three steals …She has averaged over ten points in each of the last six games and led the Pioneers in scoring in two of the three games played last week.

TRAGLIA ON THE MARK: Senior guard Christy Traglia (Mohawk, NY/Mohawk) has averaged 7.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in her last two outings … Traglia shot 5-of-8 from the floor in the two game stretch … She is currently ranked fourth on the team with an average of 7.4 points per game and she is tied for third on the team with 27 assists.

SPREADING THE WEALTH: Four different players have led the team in scoring in each of the last four games … Mary Miceli (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle), Bridget Greenwald (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills), Ashelyne Babb (Lynn, MA/Winthrop) and Ashley Mayo (Nanuet, NY/Nanuet) have all swapped roles as the team's leading scorer over the course of the last four games.

STRONG IN THE SECOND HALF: The Pioneers have outscored their opponents 593-565 in the final 20 minutes of the game this season. 

AGAINST ITHACA: Utica and Ithaca faced off earlier this month at the Clark Athletic Center at UC where the Pioneers fell to the Bombers 80-74 in two overtimes … Miceli led all scorers that evening with 36 points.

AGAINST FISHER: The Pioneers and the Cardinals last met earlier this month on January 2 as the host school, Utica, suffered a 76-65 loss … Stayer and Greenwald combined for 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Miceli, Mayo and Kelsey Cowell (Schenectady, NY/Mohonasen) each added eight points.

LETS MEET ITHACA: Ithaca is currently 13-4 overall and 7-1 in the Empire 8 … The Bombers are 7-2 on the road this season … They recently snapped a seven game win streak against St. John Fisher College last Saturday … The Bombers are led by Ali Ricchiuti who is averaging 11.4 points per game … Whitesboro's Francesca Cotrupe is averaging 8.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. 

GETTING TO KNOW ST. JOHN FISHER: The Cardinals are currently riding the highs of a four game win streak and they boast a 13-4 overall record to go along with a 6-2 mark in conference play … Mary Kate Cusack leads Fisher with an average of 15.9 points per game this season and senior point guard Portia Velasco is averaging 15.5 points per game.