UTICA, NY- The Utica College men's basketball team returns from the winter break to take on local rival, Hamilton College in a New Year's Eve showdown on Saturday at the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.  Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT: UC rallied from a seven point deficit with 3:55 remaining and trailed by just two points with less than 30 seconds to go, but the Pioneers could not complete the comeback in a 53-49 loss to host Mount Saint Mary College on Saturday, December 10… Freshman Justin Strielkauskas (Waterbury, CT/Holy Cross) registered his first collegiate double-double as he posted a career-high 16 points and 10 rebounds in the loss… Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) netted 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Utica, while freshman Jerome Brabham (Utica, NY/Utica Notre Dame) recorded nine points and six rebounds.
 
STRIELKAUSKAS FINDING HIS STRIDE: Freshman Justin Strielkauskas (Waterbury, CT/Holy Cross) was named the Empire 8 Rookie of the Week on Dec. 12 after a break out week for the Pioneers where he registered 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds over the course of two games... He also shot 11-for-17 from the floor and 4-for-7 from behind the arc in the stretch… He currently ranks fourth on the team with an average of 3.8 rebounds per game and sixth on the squad with 5.3 points per game...  29 of his 42 total points this season have come in his last two appearances.
 
ITON LEADING THE WAY: Junior Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) leads the team with 16.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game… Iton was named the Empire 8 Player of the Week on Dec. 12 after he averaged 14.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, one block and one steal over the course of two games… He currently ranks ninth in the Empire 8 in points per game (16.1) and fourth in rebounding per game (8.8)… In 56 career games he has 520 points, 337 rebounds and 32 blocked shots...  He has also recorded six career double-doubles. 
 
IN THE HUNT: Although the Pioneers (0-8) are still in search of their first win, five of their eight losses have been by five points or less… Four times, Utica was within three points of their opponents with less then a minute remaining.
 
SCOUTING HAMILTON: The Continentals are off to a 6-2 start headed into the winter break… Hamilton lost to Catholic University and Eastern University, while defeating Kean, Cazenovia, Clarkson, Oswego, Centenary, and Bard… Hamilton currently has four players averaging over 10 points per game, led by Tim Doyle, who has 20.0 points and 2.3 assists per game.
 
AGAINST THE CONTINENTALS: Utica is 0-2 against Hamilton in the last five years, losing each game by less than ten points… The last time UC and Hamilton met was on Nov. 29, 2014, when the Continentals came away with a 67-59 victory.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Pioneers will open up Empire 8 Conference play on Tuesday, Jan. 3 as they host Stevens Institute of Technology…  Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m.