Utica, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team is on the road for matchups against Nazareth and St. John Fisher this weekend. The Pioneers will face Naz on Friday, beginning at 6 p.m., before facing Fisher at 2 p.m. on Saturday. 
 
Last Time Out: UC lost to Alfred in its last contest, with the final score being 78-54. Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) scored a team-high 14 points, while Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) finished with 10 points and seven boards. Freshman Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) contributed nine points off the bench, shooting 3-for-3 from beyond the 3-point arc. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Pioneers, as they now stand at 9-7 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
 
Conference Standings: The Pioneers are in fourth place in the Empire 8 Standings, heading into Friday's contest. With an in-conference mark of 4-3, UC is half a game ahead of St. John Fisher in the standings. The Empire 8 standings at this point in the season are as follows: 1. Stevens (8-1 E8), 2. Nazareth (6-1 E8), 3. Alfred (6-2 E8), 4. Utica (4-3 E8), 5. St. John Fisher (4-4 E8), 6. Hartwick (3-3 E8), 7. Sage (2-5 E8), 8. Elmira (1-6 E8), 9. Houghton (0-9 E8). Every game matters, as the team matches up with Nazareth and Fisher for two key E8 contests this weekend.
 
Big Man Matchup: This Friday's contest against Nazareth features two of the top big men in the Empire 8 going head-to-head. UC's Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) and Nazareth's Jake Burgio are both top-10 in the conference in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, and blocks. Iton is averaging 15.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game, while shooting 60.6% from the floor. He is ranked eighth in scoring, third in rebounding, first in blocks, and second in field goal percentage within the E8. Jake Burgio averages 17.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and shoots 64.6% from the field. Burgio ranks fifth in scoring, fourth in rebounds, second in blocks, and leads the conference in field goal percentage. The matchup between these two big men will be important to watch in Friday's Empire 8 contest.
 
Scouting Nazareth: The Golden Flyers are boasting an 11-5 overall record to go with a 6-1 mark within the Empire 8. The team defeated Elmira in its last game, by a score of 101-91. Cody Green led Nazareth with a game-high 32 points, shooting 8-for-13 from long range. Jake Burgio shot 10-for-12 from the floor, finishing with 20 points and seven boards. Tyler Stenglein and Brendan Wind combined for 22 points and 13 assists in the victory. Stenglein is ranked second in the conference with an average of 19.5 points per game and is third with a mark of 4.4 assists per game. He is also fourth in the E8 in steals, averaging 1.6 steals a game defensively.
 
Scouting Fisher: The Cardinals are sitting at 9-8 overall so far this year, and are 4-4 in Empire 8 play. The team just beat Houghton, 88-52, snapping a four-game losing streak. Sammy Robinson notched a team-high 14 points, while Michael D'Amico went 5-for-6 from the field on his way to scoring 13 points. Ryan Henderson nearly posted a double-double in the win, coming away with 10 points and nine boards. Robinson is the team's top scorer and rebounder, averaging 15.4 points and 5.6 rebounds a game.
 
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers return to action on January 30th, as they play host to Nazareth. This Empire 8 matchup is set to begin at 6 p.m.