Utica, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team is at home Tuesday night, to battle Empire 8 opponent St. John Fisher College. The tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
 
Free Pizza Slice Giveaway: There will be free pizza for all UC students with a valid UC ID (one slice per student) at halftime of the men's and women's games against Fisher Tuesday evening … The women play at 6 p.m. with the men's game scheduled for 8 p.m. 
 
Last Time Out: In the Pioneers' last contest they defeated Elmira College, 57-55 … Carl Taylor (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) exploded for a career-high of 27 points, going 7-for-7 from the field and 13-for-14 from the free throw line … Taylor finished a layup through contact and finished off the 3-point play in the final 40 seconds of the contest to win it for UC … Bennito Ayarza (Brooklyn, NY/Cayuga Community College) added 12 points as he also shot well from the foul line in the game shooting 8-for-11 … Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) finished with seven points, eight rebounds, and three blocks in the game.
 
Stepping Up: The Pioneers have now won three of their last four games to improve their record to 3-11 overall, and 3-2 in Empire 8 play … Over this four game stretch there have been impressive individual performances, as members of the team have stepped up their level of play when the team needed it … Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining), Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford), and Carl Taylor (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) have all recorded career-high scoring days over the last four games … Taylor scored his career-high of 27 points in the win over Elmira, Iton earned his career-high of 30 against Nazareth, and Remley's career-high of 27 came in the victory over Hartwick.
 
Year of the Pioneer: Prior to the start of 2017 the Pioneers were 0-9, but since the new year began they are 3-2 … Over the course of the first nine games for Utica, the team's field goal percentage was 36.8% … During the five games so far in 2017, the combined field goal percentage for the team has been 46.8% … During the first nine games Carl Taylor (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) was averaging 2.4 points per game, but in the five games of 2017, he is averaging 12.2 points per game … Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) was averaging 9.4 points per game through the first nine games, but is now scoring 13 points a game so far in the new year … Bennito Ayarza (Brooklyn, NY/Cayuga Community College) had only scored double digit points in two of the first nine games of the season, but has recorded 10 or more points in three of the five games played in the new year.
 
Statistical Leaders: Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) still leads the team in scoring and rebounding with averages of 16.3 point and 9.2 rebounds per game … Iton is currently eighth in scoring and ranked third in the Empire 8 in rebounding … He also continues to lead the conference in blocked shots with his average of 1.8 per game … Bennito Ayarza (Brooklyn, NY/Cayuga Community College) is ranked first in the Empire 8 in steals, averaging two steals a game … Ayarza's 3.1 assists per game has him ranked ninth in the conference in the assist category … The Pioneers have allowed on average, 73.8 points per game, which ranks the team's defense the third best in the Empire 8 … UC currently leads the conference in blocks, averaging 4.64 blocks per game as a team.
 
Scouting St. John Fisher: The St. John Fisher Cardinals are currently sitting at a record of 8-4 overall and 3-0 in the conference … The Cardinals are coming off of a 76-67 win over Ithaca College to extend their winning streak to three games … Keegan Ryan recorded game-highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds in the game, as Alex Sausville added 13 points of his own coming off the bench … Keegan Ryan leads the team in scoring and is ranked fifth in the Empire 8 with his average of 18.3 points per game … Ryan is also the leading rebounder for St. John Fisher with his 9.5 boards per game, and is ranked second in the conference  in rebounding … Tyler English is second on the team in scoring, as he averages 13.4 points per game.
 
Against St. John Fisher: The Pioneers have not been able to defeat St. John Fisher since the 2011-2012 season when they defeated the Cardinals on the road, 72-64 … In the last matchup between these Empire 8 opponents, St. John Fisher came away with the 77-52 victory … Carl Taylor (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) finished the game with nine points, seven rebounds and two steals … Sausville led the Cardinals in the game with 24 points and six boards … Keegan Ryan recorded 16 points and eight rebounds while Tyler English had 12 points and nine rebounds … The Pioneers will look to upset the current number one team in the conference Tuesday night.
 
Looking Ahead: UC's next game is scheduled for Saturday, as the team will host Houghton College (6-7 overall, 1-3 E8) for another Empire 8 showdown. The game will tip-off at 4 p.m.