Utica, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team heads on the road for two games this weekend against Houghton and Alfred. Friday's matchup with Houghton begins at 6 p.m., while the team plays Alfred on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Last Time Out: In their last contest, the Pioneers defeated Sage by a score of 79-75 at home.
Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) went 9-for-11 from the field, finishing with a game-high 21 points and nine rebounds.
Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) poured in 10 points, while
Bennito Ayarza (Brooklyn, NY/Cayuga Community College) contributed 10 points and five assists.
Carl Taylor (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) recorded eight points, nine boards, and five assists.
Justin Strielkauskas (Waterbury, CT/Holy Cross) had a nice game off the bench with 10 points and four rebounds, as he shot 4-for-5 from the floor. UC improved to 8-6 overall and 3-2 against Empire 8 opponents.
Road Trip: After playing the last three games at home, the team now prepares for a four-game road trip against conference foes. Utica begins this weekend, playing Houghton on Friday and Alfred on Saturday. Then the team has to get ready for another long weekend next week, as it travels to face Nazareth and St. John Fisher. The Pioneers are currently 0-5 on the road and will not play at home again until January 30th.
In a Groove: UC is currently riding the momentum of a three-game winning streak, with all three victories coming in conference play.
Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) has been in a rhythm, shooting 76.5% from the field during this stretch. Over the course of the three games, Iton is averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks per game.
Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) has also been in a groove, averaging 14.3 points per game during the winning-streak as he was averaging just 4.8 points per game prior.
Scouting Houghton: The Highlanders currently own a 3-12 record overall and are 0-6 so far this season in conference play. The team is on an 11-game losing streak, as its last win came against Hilbert College back on November 21st, 2017. Houghton fell to Nazareth, 78-65, in its last contest. Dylan Lambert finished with a game-high 29 points and 12 rebounds, posting a double-double in the loss. Cody Johnson flirted with a double-double, coming up just shy as he recorded 16 points and nine boards. Lambert is currently the top scorer in the Empire 8, averaging 23.3 points per game. He also is sixth in the conference with his rebounding average of 6.8 per game.
Scouting Alfred: Alfred is holding on to an overall record of 11-4, while going 4-2 thus far in E8 competition. The Saxons defeated Elmira in their last game, with the final score reading 98-89. Dalton Cousin led the way, shooting 12-for-16 from the field on his way to posting 25 points and eight rebounds. Scotty Stopera finished with 21 points, going 5-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc. Nick Schmidt is the team's leading scorer, averaging 13.3 points per game this season. Sage Brown is snagging an average of 8.3 rebounds per game, which leads the team and is ranked fourth in the conference.
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers will be on the road again next weekend as they matchup with Nazareth College on January 26th. The game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
