Utica, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team will be hosting Cazenovia on Monday for its home opener. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 6 p.m.
Last Time Out: The Pioneers fell to SUNY Poly in their last contest, 81-71, bringing the team's record to 1-2 so far this season. Senior
Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) led the way with 25 points, five boards, and two blocks. Iton shot an efficient 10-for-13 from the floor, including 1-for-1 from 3-point range. In the first start of his collegiate career,
Jake Kulakowski (Brewerton, NY/Central Square) tallied a career-high 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field.
Carl Taylor (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) added 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds in the contest.
Iton's Milestones: Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) is currently closing in on multiple milestones for his career here at Utica College. Going into Monday's matchup with Cazenovia, Iton has tallied 885 total points in his career. He needs to score 115 more points to eclipse the 1,000-point mark for his career. Ivan is sitting in fifth place all-time in career rebounds, with 550, and is 45 boards away from moving into fourth place in program history. With a career count of 96 blocked shots, Iton is only three blocks away from moving into third place all-time and five blocks away from second all-time in career blocks.
Statistical Leaders: Heading into the fourth game of the season,
Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) leads the team with averages of 15.7 points and seven rebounds per game. He currently ranks eighth in the Empire 8 in both points and rebounds per game.
Tyler Jollie (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro) is the top shooter from 3-point range right now for UC, as he is shooting a strong 63.6% from deep.
Bennito Ayarza (Brooklyn, NY/Cayuga Community College) leads the Pioneers with three assists per game early on in the year.
Scouting Caz: The Cazenovia Wildcats own an overall record of 1-3 so far this season. The team most recently fell to Medaille College, 87-84, in its last contest. The Wildcats had four players reach double-digits in the loss. Wil Thompson led the way with 21 points and 11 boards, to secure the double-double. Jawaan Crouch and Raishun Richardson both recorded 18 points in the game, while Lucci Vigliotti added 14 points off the bench. Thompson leads Cazenovia with averages of 13 points and seven rebounds per game. The Wildcats currently lead the nation with an average of 8.3 blocks per game. Cameron Wilson is second in the country, averaging 5.67 blocks per game, after sending back eight shots in the loss to Medaille.
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers return to action on Friday, as they head on the road to face-off against Hamilton College. This non-conference contest is set to begin at 7 p.m.
