UTICA, NY- The Utica College men's basketball team heads on the road Tuesday to face Hartwick College for an Empire 8 matchup. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 8 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: In their last game, the Pioneers fell on the road to first place St. John Fisher College 78-63 on Saturday…The team outscored the Cardinals in the second half 39-32 but could not overcome the first half deficit…  Miles McNeill (Rochester, NY/Aquinas) was the leading scorer for UC with 15 points and he also tallied 4 rebounds and one assist… Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) and Bennito Ayarza (Brooklyn, NY/Cayuga Community College) were the other two players in double digits for the team as they combined for 25 points and five rebounds…Three players scored 10 or more points for Fisher, led by Keegan Ryan, who recorded a double-double with 24 points and 10 boards.

Conference Standings: With the loss to St. John Fisher, UC drops its record to 6-14 overall and 6-5 in the Empire 8 … The Pioneers are one game behind Hartwick (7-5) in the win column as the teams are battling for the fourth and final spot in the Empire 8 Tournament… Alfred is not far behind (5-6)as the Saxons are also in the playoff hunt.
 
Statistical Leaders: Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) remains UC's leading scorer and rebounder this season, averaging 16.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game … In the Empire 8 he currently ranks eighth in scoring, second in rebounding and his 2.1 blocks per game lead the E8 … Iton has earned the fifth highest field goal percentage in the conference, out of those who qualify, shooting 48.0% from the floor … Bennito Ayarza (Brooklyn, NY/Cayuga Community College) leads the team in assists and steals, averaging three assists and 1.7 steals per game … Ayarza has the seventh best free throw percentage in the Empire 8, out of those who qualify, with a percentage of 78.0%.
 
New Success: Under new head coach, Sean Coffey, the Pioneers have already surpassed their win total in Empire 8 play from last season (4)... The six wins in conference, are the most for the team since the 2012-2013 season where the Pioneers finished with 8 wins in the Empire 8 and earned a berth in the conference tournament.

Scouting Hartwick: The Hawks currently have a 14-7 record and a 7-5 record in Empire 8 play… They are coming off an 80-73 victory over Alfred University and they are winners of three out of their last four games… Joey Lufkin is leading the team with 18.0 points per game, a mark good for third in the E8…Jake Sinicki is averaging 7.3 assists per game ranking him fourth in the conference…As a team Hartwick is third in the conference, averaging just over 80 points per game.
 
Against Hartwick: The last time these two teams matched up, UC came away with a 90-86 victory earlier this season… It marked UC's first win of the season... Freshman Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) was the game's high scorer with a career-high of 27 points…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.
 
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers will return to action on Friday when they will travel to Houghton College for an Empire 8 Conference matchup…Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.