The Utica College men's basketball team will play its final regular season game on Saturday as it hosts Empire 8 opponent, Elmira College… Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. 
 
Alumni Game: Prior to the women's basketball game at 2 p.m., the men's basketball team will host their annual Alumni Game starting at 11 a.m.
 
Last Time Out: Utica defeated Ithaca College at home Tuesday in dramatic fashion … The Bombers had a 74-73 lead with 12 seconds remaining in the game … Junior Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) grabbed an offensive rebound and made the game-winning layup at the buzzer, to help the Pioneers earn a 75-74 win … Utica still remains in the hunt for an Empire 8 Tournament berth, and they have recorded their ninth Empire 8 Conference win for the first time since the 2008-09 season … Iton finished with game-highs of 21 points and 13 rebounds, earning a double-double.
 
Ivan The Great: In UC's victory over Ithaca, Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) passed the milestone marks of 800 career points and 500 career rebounds … His 13 rebounds in the contest gave him 506 total career rebounds, adding him to the 500-rebound club, as he became the tenth player in program-history to record at least 500 career rebounds … He also was able to surpass 800 career points in the contest as he has now scored 804 total career points … In the 2016-17 season, Iton has averaged 17.2 points per game, ranked seventh in the Empire 8, and leads the conference with an average of 10 boards per game … He also leads the Empire 8 in blocked shots, averaging 2.2 blocks per game, and is third in the conference, out of those who qualify, with a field goal percentage of 49.4%.
 
Pioneers' Season Recap: The Pioneers started the 2016-17 season off on the wrong foot losing 10 straight games … Fortunately the team snapped their 10-game losing streak after beating Hartwick 90-86 at home on Jan. 5 … Utica got the ball rolling and turned its season around winning nine out of its last 14 games … The Pioneers are now 9-15 overall and 9-6 in the Empire 8, fighting for a spot in the conference tournament.
 
Playoff Scenario: UC's conference tournament hopes are still alive as the regular season comes to a close … Utica is currently fourth in the Empire 8 standings with a 9-6 conference record … The Pioneers are half a game ahead Hartwick (8-6 E8) and half a game behind Nazareth (9-5 E8) in the standings … Utica will make the tournament if they win against Elmira and if Hartwick loses one of their final two games against Nazareth College (2/17) or St. John Fisher College (2/18), or if Nazareth loses its last two games against Hartwick (2/17) and Stevens (2/18) … The Pioneers also have an outside chance of moving up to the third seed with a win over Elmira if Nazareth loses both games and Hartwick splits its last two games.
 
Scouting Elmira: The Soaring Eagles are 3-21 overall and 1-14 in the Empire 8 … Elmira lost its ninth straight game against St. John Fisher (75-63) on the road Wednesday night … Hayden Harkins recorded a team-high 21 points in the loss … Harkins leads the team in scoring this season with an average of 10.6 points per game … Justin Porrett has averaged 10.4 points per game and leads the team in assists, averaging 4.6 a game. 
 
Against the Soaring Eagles: Utica faced off against the Soaring Eagles on the road on Jan. 14 … The Pioneers were down 55-54 late in the second half, but Carl Taylor (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) netted the game-winning 3-point play with 36 seconds left in regulation to lift the Pioneers to a 57-55 victory … Taylor scored a career-high 27 points in the victory shooting 7-for-7 from the floor and 13-for-14 at the foul line … Utica also swept the Soaring Eagles last season and will look to do it again this year with a potential playoff berth on the line.
 
Empire 8 Tournament Schedule: St. John Fisher College has locked up the top seed and hosting rights for the 2017 Empire 8 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament … The tournament is set for next Friday and Saturday at Fisher's Manning & Nappier Varsity Gymnasium … Friday's semifinals tip-off at 6/8 p.m., while Saturday's E8 championship game begins at 4 p.m.