UTICA, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team hosts Empire 8 Conference opponents Ithaca College on Friday and Nazareth College on Saturday. Friday night's game is scheduled for 6 p.m. while Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: UC was supposed to take on St. John Fisher on the road in an Empire 8 match up but the game was postponed due to weather … The game has been rescheduled for February 1, at 6 p.m..
 
Climbing the Record Books: Robert Tutein (Nanuet, NY/Nanuet) moved into sixth all-time in 3-pointers over the weekend sinking seven 3-pointers to move his total to 122 3-pointers over the course of his four year career … He needs 10 more 3-pointers to pass Matt Baldwin '13 and move into fifth place all-time … He is one of eight players in program-history to make 100 or more 3-pointers in a career … Tutein leads the team and is eighth in the Empire 8 in points per game (17.2), he is fifth in the conference in 3-pointers per game (2.8), and is sixth in the conference in blocks per game (0.9).
 
Sophomore Duo: Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) is third on the team averaging 10.5 points per game while Carl Taylor (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) is fifth on the team averaging 6.9 points per game … Iton has 111 rebounds, 22 assists, 12 blocks, and seven steals so far this season … Iton has come on strong as of late, scoring in double figures in each of his last six games … He also has four double-doubles this season … Iton is fifth in the E8 in blocks per game (0.9), and sixth in the E8 for rebounds per game (8.5) … Taylor has contributed 64 rebounds, 41 assists, nine steals, and three blocks this season.
 
Athlete of the Week: Junior guard Agim Hamiti (Prishtina, Kosovo/Syracuse Academy of Science) was named Utica College's Male Athlete of the Week on Monday for his efforts over the course of three games last week … Hamiti averaged 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists last week for the Pioneers …  After the loss to Hartwick on Tuesday, he helped lead the Pioneers to victory against Elmira with 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists … Hamiti wrapped up the week with a career-high 29 points in a loss against Houghton … He also added nine rebounds and shot 80 percent from the free throw line … Hamiti recently joined the Pioneers for the second half of the season and over the course of six games he is averaging 13.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game … His 13.5 points per game rank second on the team to leading scorer Robert Tutein (Nanuet, NY/Nanuet).
 
Scouting Ithaca: The Bombers are 9-6 overall with a 3-3 Empire 8 record … Ithaca is currently on a two game losing streak including a 89-81 loss to St. John Fisher … The Bombers are led by Marc Chasin (19.3 points per game, 102 rebounds, 50 assists, 11 steals, and eight blocks) and Joey Flanagan (17.4 points per game, 40 rebounds, 22 steals, 16 assists, and one block).
 
Against The Bombers: UC is 4-6 against Ithaca over the last five years … In that time Utica is 2-3 at home and 2-3 on the road … Last year Ithaca defeated the Pioneers by scores of 97-90 and 98-85.
 
Scouting Nazareth: The Golden Flyers are 9-6 overall with a 5-1 conference record … Nazareth is currently on a one game win streak after defeating conference opponent Hartwick 82-73 … The Golden Flyers are led by Mitch Ford (24.6 points per game, 178 rebounds, 13 assists, 12 steals, and three blocks) and Tyler Stenglein (12.7 points per game, 64 rebounds, 58 assists, 16 steals, and four blocks).
 
Against The Golden Flyers: Utica is 2-8 against Nazareth over the last five years … UC is 1-4 both at home and on the road when facing the Golden Flyers over that time … Last year the Pioneers defeated Nazareth on the road 73-70 while losing at home 67-61.
 
Social Media: Make sure to follow live updates of the game 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 #UCMoose… You can also "Like" the Pioneers on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UCpioneers ... Fans can also follow the Pioneers on Instagram: UCPioneers.
 
ESPN Broadcast Information:  This weekend's home games will be broadcast on the radio locally at WTLB 99.1 FM/1310 AM (ESPN Radio) by Dave Peroni and UC alum Ray Biggs … Live streaming audio can also be accessed on WTLB's website, www.espnur.com... Fans can also download the free ESPNUR app on their Iphone or Droid device by searching "ESPNUR" in their respective app store.

Pioneers All-Access: Make sure to catch live video and stats on Pioneers All-Access: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/
 
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers hit the road to take on Empire 8 opponent Hartwick College … Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.