Utica, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team will play host to conference foe Hartwick College on Thursday. This Empire 8 matchup is set to begin at 8 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: UC fell to Stevens in its last contest, 91-73. The Pioneers got strong performances from freshmen Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) and Kyler Mower (Richfield Springs, NY/Richfield Springs). Remley led the team in scoring with 16 points while Mower added a career-high of 13 points. Carl Taylor (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) did it all for Utica in the game finishing with 13 points, seven assists, and six rebounds. Utica did finish with its highest assist total of the season with 20 in the game which led to the team's best shooting performance of the year. The team recorded its best field goal percentage of 40.6% and 3-point percentage of 46.2%.
 
The Freshman Impact: In the Pioneers' last contest against Stevens, multiple freshman reached career high numbers. Mower's career-high of 13 points came from shooting 4-for-6 from 3-point territory, including a 4-point play. Tyler Jollie (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro) reached a career-high of five assists in the game and added three points as well. Jake Kulakowski (Brewerton, NY/Central Square) scored a career high of five points and even dished out his first collegiate assist in the contest. Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) has now scored double digits in four of the team's last five matchups. Remley has now started four straight games for UC as Justin Strielkauskas (Waterbury, CT/Holy Cross) has started in six consecutive games.
 
Team Leaders: Junior Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) averages 15.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game to lead the Pioneers in both categories. Iton's numbers rank tenth in the conference in scoring and third in rebounds. He also is ranked second in the Empire 8 with 1.3 blocks per game. Bennito Ayarza (Brooklyn, NY/Cayuga Community College) leads the team with 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals a game. Ayarza ranks tenth in the Empire 8 in assists and is second in steals.
 
Scouting Hartwick: The Hawks are sitting at a record of 8-2 overall and are 1-0 in Empire 8 play. The team is currently on a six game winning streak and have not lost a game on the road yet so far this season. In its last contest, Hartwick defeated Elmira, 71-65. Brandon LaForest led the team in both scoring and assists with totals of 27 points and five assists. LaForest also grabbed seven rebounds in the contest. Jake Sinicki scored 25 points as well as grabbing a game-high of nine rebounds. Sinicki is ranked fifth in the Empire 8, scoring 17.3 points per game while LaForest ranks sixth with his average of 16.8 points per game.
 
Against Hartwick: UC lost its most recent meeting with Hartwick last season 109-50. The Hawks made 24 3-point field goals in the game and shot over 50% from the field. Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) was just one point shy of a double double, as he finished with nine points and 11 boards in the game. The Pioneers last win over their Empire 8 opponent was during the 2012-2013 season when they defeated Hartwick at home, 90-77.
 
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers will return to action on January 10^th, as they will host conference foe Alfred University. The contest is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.