Utica, NY – The Utica College women's basketball team will be on the road for a cross-town rivalry game against SUNY Poly. The contest is scheduled to tip-off at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Last Time Out: In their last contest, the Pioneers improved to 3-3 on the season with their 70-68 win over Misericordia.
Ashelyne Babb (Lynn, MA/Winthrop) finished with a season-high 24 points, along with five assists and three steals.
Ashley Mayo (Bronx, NY/Nanuet) also notched a season-high in scoring, contributing 17 points in her efforts.
Briannah Florian (Fort Plain, NY/Fort Plain) earned a season-best total of 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting and grabbed six rebounds.
Defense is Key: With a .500 record six games into the season there is a trend between the games UC has won that is not present during the team's losses. The ability of the Pioneers to create high pressure situations for their opponent's ball handler has been the key to success. In the three losses, Utica has a combined total of 17 steals. During the three wins, the combined total of steals is 35. When the team is aggressive defensively and makes at least 10 steals in a game, UC is 3-0. Strong defense leading to easy offense is demonstrated in the three wins when the team has shot the ball 38.8% compared to the 28.8% field goal percentage in the losses.
Statistical Leaders: Ashley Mayo (Bronx, NY/Nanuet) is currently leading the team in scoring, owning a points per game average of 11.8. Mayo also leads the team in both steals with 13 and in 3-point shooting with a percentage of 38.1% from deep.
Alaina Tripp (Clyde, NY/Clyde-Savannah) is the top rebounder on the squad, averaging 7.2 boards per game so far this season.
Ashelyne Babb (Lynn, MA/Winthrop) is tops on the team with an average of 3.5 assists per game.
Scouting SUNY Poly: The Wildcats from SUNY Poly are boasting a 4-2 record overall at this point of the season and are on a two game winning streak. In the team's last contest they defeated Keuka College by a score of 67-61. Kiersten Leos led the way shooting 7-for-11 from the field and 6-for-8 from long range, finishing with 26 points. Khristaijah Jackson also had a solid outing, recording 18 points and seven boards in the win. Jackson is currently averaging 20.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, leading SUNY Poly in both categories.
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers will be back in action on December 16th, as they play host to Morrisville State. The game is set to begin at 2 p.m.
