Utica, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team defeated Empire 8 Conference foe Hartwick College, 90-86, to earn its first win of the season Thursday night. Freshman Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) was the game's high scorer with a career-high of 27 points. The Pioneers are now 1-10 overall and improve to 1-1 in the Empire 8 as Utica Head Coach Sean Coffey earned his first collegiate head coaching victory. 
 
Remley started the game off strong, as he scored eight of the Pioneers first 11 points in the first half. Utica went on a 13-4 run in the span of 4:52 to take a 29-13 lead with nine minutes remaining in the half. Strong defense and good ball movement helped UC control the rest of the first half, creating a 21-point lead with 3:45 left before halftime. The Pioneers went to the locker room leading Hartwick 49-34. Remley led all scorers with 15 points at the half, as teammate Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) added 10 points and eight rebounds.
 
Utica out-rebounded their opponents 24-10 in the first half of the game. Ball movement was key, as the Pioneers recorded 12 assists on 20 made field goals and earned a field goal percentage of 58.8% going into halftime.
 
UC continued its impressive play early in the second half. The Pioneers went on a 14-6 run in six minutes to create a 23-point lead for themselves, the largest lead of the game. The score read, 63-40, with 13:15 remaining in the game. Utica held its 20-point lead until the eight minute mark when Hartwick began crawling back into the game. In the span of five minutes, the Hawks went on a 16-5 run to make the score 80-72, in favor of Utica, with just three minutes left in regulation. A Hartwick 3-pointer cut the Pioneer's lead to two points with only 17 seconds remaining. However, four clutch free throws down the stretch by freshman Tyler Jollie (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro) sealed the deal to give Utica its first win of the year.
 
Remley shot 11-for-17 in the game to earn his career-high of 27 points in the contest and added three blocks defensively. Iton recorded his third double double of the season, as he finished with 21 points and a season-high of 15 rebounds. Bennito Ayarza (Brooklyn, NY/Cayuga Community College) and Miles McNeill (Rochester, NY/Aquinas) both scored in double digits, adding 12 points and 10 points respectively. Carl Taylor (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) played a well-rounded game registering eight points, seven assists, three rebounds and three steals.
 
Utica's shooting percentage in the game was the highest of the season so far, shooting 57.4% from the floor. The team also shot 21-for-27 from the free throw line, which was crucial down the stretch. The Pioneers out-rebounded Hartwick 40-22 in the contest. UC was never behind in the game, leading from start to finish.  
 
Hartwick's leading scorers were Joey Lufkin and Brandon LaForest, as they both finished with 24 points. Ned Bakic added 12 points of his own while Jake Sinicki recorded 10 points and four rebounds. The Hawks drop to 8-3 overall and 1-1 in Empire 8 competition so far this season.
 
The Pioneers return to action on January 10^th, as they host Empire 8 opponent Alfred University. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.