The Utica College men's basketball squad will travel to compete at the Medaille College Tournament this weekend (Nov. 19^th-20^th). Utica will first face off against host Medaille this Friday at 4:30 p.m. Then the Pioneers will matchup with either Baruch College or Goucher College on Saturday.
 
Last time out:  Utica lost its season opener to Morrisville State (71-67) on November 15^th, making the team's record 0-1. The Pioneers had a 40-34 lead at halftime, but Morrisville went on a 26-5 run in the second half to take control of the contest. Junior forward Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) led the Pioneers with 17 points and seven rebounds. Agim Hamiti (Prishtina, Kosovo/Syracuse Academy of Science) and Bennito Ayarza (Brooklyn, NY/Cayuga Community College) both added 13 points of their own. Freshman Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) scored 10 points in his first career collegiate contest.  
 
Scouting Medaille: Medaille opened their season against SUNY Geneseo, as they fell to Geneseo 79-64, giving them a record of 0-1. Medaille was outscored by Geneseo 52-35 in the second half. Junior Mike Hollenbeck recorded a double-double with a total of 17 points and 10 rebounds in the game.    
 
Scouting Baruch: The Bearcats got a 76-72 win over Birmingham-Southern College in their home opener last Tuesday (Nov. 15^th). Sophomore Doyin Isaac led the Bearcats with 18 points in the victory. Junior Chimaechi Ekekeugbor also had a great game scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. The Pioneers have not matched up with Baruch over the past 15 seasons.
 
Scouting Goucher: Goucher College lost its first game of the season to Salisbury by a score of 70-52 last Tuesday (Nov. 15^th). Goucher recorded 21 turnovers in that game and shot 3-11 from the three-point line. Senior Tre Galloway III led the team with 13 points while senior Chris Outing added 11 points and a team high eight rebounds. Utica has not faced Goucher College once over the last 15 years.
 
Against Medaille: The Pioneers defeated the Mavericks 76-73 at home last season (Dec. 30, 2015). Ivon Iton recorded a double-double in the game with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Of Iton's 15 boards, 10 of them were offensive rebounds. Justin Mayers (Hastings, NY/Hastings on the Hudson) scored 14 points and Agim Hamiti (Prishtina, Kosovo/Syracuse Academy of Science) added 10 points as well as seven rebounds. Friday's game will be just the second matchup between Utica and Medaille over the past 15 years.
 
Looking ahead: After the Medaille Tournament, the Pioneers will return to action for their home opener next Tuesday (Nov. 22). Utica will be hosting the SUNY Poly Wildcats as the game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.