Utica, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team lost a close game at home on Tuesday to Empire 8 opponent St. John Fisher, 72-68. Despite Miles McNeill (Rochester, NY/Aquinas)'s 15 second half points in route to a career-high of 17, the Pioneers drop to 3-12 overall and 3-3 in conference play so far this season.
 
The Pioneers started off slow in the game as the St. John Fisher Cardinals took an 11-2 lead with 13 minutes still remaining in the first half. The Cardinals continued to control the game as they went on a 13-0 run in the span of 4:22, to make the score 25-7 with 6:36 left before halftime. UC showed heart as the team closed the half on a 13-5 run, including a buzzer beater layup by Miles McNeill (Rochester, NY/Aquinas), to trail St. John Fisher 35-28 heading into the locker rooms. Bennito Ayarza (Brooklyn, NY/Cayuga Community College) was the leading scorer for Utica at the half with eight points, going 6-for-6 at the free throw line.
 
The teams traded baskets throughout the majority of the second half until Miles McNeill (Rochester, NY/Aquinas) began to take over. McNeill, a freshman, scored 13 straight points for the Pioneers over the span of 3:22 to cut Fisher's lead down to four points, 58-54, with 4:33 left to play in the second half. With eight seconds remaining in the game, Bennito Ayarza (Brooklyn, NY/Cayuga Community College) hit a 3-point shot to make the score 70-68, in favor of St. John Fisher. Utica's comeback was halted after the Cardinals made some key free throws to come away with the four point victory.
 
Ayarza finished with 18 points, his highest scoring output in a Pioneer uniform, to go with his five assists. He also shot 9-for-10 at the free throw line in the contest. McNeill recorded a career-high of 17 points in the game, shooting 6-for-8 from the field. Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) led the team with nine rebounds in the game, as well as scoring 11 points. The Pioneers earned a free throw percentage of 80% in the contest, shooting 20-for-25.
 
St. John Fisher improves to 9-4 overall and 4-0 in the Empire 8 after the win. Keegan Ryan led the team in points and rebounds, finishing with a game-high of 22 points and eight boards. Tyler English scored 16 points for the Cardinals, while Michael D'Amico added 14 points of his own.
 
The Pioneers will be back at home on Saturday, as they play host to Empire 8 foe Houghton College (7-7 overall, 2-3 E8). The game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.