Utica, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team fell to visiting Hamilton College on Saturday afternoon. Freshman Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) led UC in scoring with 17 points in the team's 99-74 loss.
 
Hamilton started off the game on a run making the score 12-5 just three minutes into the contest. The Pioneers battled back with a 12-5 run of their own in 4:04, as the score was 24-22 in favor of Hamilton with nine minutes remaining before halftime. Bennito Ayarza (Brooklyn, NY/Cayuga Community College) made four consecutive free throws to give UC its first lead of the game with 7:10 left in the half. Utica then had a quick 6-0 run in just 1:17 to take its largest lead of the game, five points, making the score 34-29 with 5:35 left in the first. The visiting team closed the half with a 7-0 run in 1:41, to take a 45-41 lead into the locker rooms. Remley led all scorers with 11 points at the half.
 
The Continentals took off in the early goings of the second half with a 17-2 run in 4:48, as the scoreboard read 62-45 with 14:31 left in the game. Later in the half Utica was able to go on a 9-1 run in 1:52 to cut the lead down to 11 points with 6:17 left to play, making the score 75-64. Hamilton then pulled away to close the half with a 24-10 run in the final six minutes as it held on for the 25 point victory.
 
Utica's Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) led the Pioneers with 17 points and he also posted a game-high four 3-pointers.  Remley has now scored in double-digits in three of his last four outings.  Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) added 16 points and nine rebounds, while point guard Bennito Ayarza (Brooklyn, NY/Cayuga Community College) finished one point shy of his season-high as he netted 12 points and dished out five assists.
 
UC's Carl Taylor (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) posted six points, six rebounds and four assists.  Freshman Kyler Mower (Richfield Springs, NY/Richfield Springs) tallied a career-high seven points and added three rebounds. 
 
The Pioneers were steady from the free-throw line all afternoon, making 18-of-25 attempts. 
 
Hamilton's Peter Hoffmann led all scorers with 23 points, while Michael Grassey added 16 points and eight rebounds.  Kena Gilmour came off the bench and posted 15 points and nine rebounds for the Continentals.  Joe Pucci chipped in with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor. 
 
Hamilton (8-2) netted 21 points off of 15 Utica turnovers and also got 50 points from its bench in the contest.  The Continentals also scored 13 second chance points off of 13 offensive rebounds. 
 
The Pioneers (0-9), who are in the midst of a four game home stand, open up Empire 8 Conference play on Tuesday when they host Stevens Institute of Technology at 8 p.m.