Utica, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team will host SUNY Poly on Tuesday for the home opener. The game is set to tip-off at 4 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers took down RPI (72-63) and Hilbert College (78-75) over the past weekend, as they were crowned champions of the Hilbert Tip-Off Tournament. Shawn Gashi (Central Square, NY/Bishop Grimes) put up 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists against RPI and then scored 16 in the championship against Hilbert. Avery Coston (Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley) shot 4-for-5 from downtown to notch 12 points in the first win before tallying nine points, seven boards, three assists, two steals and a block in the game with Hilbert. Gashi was one of two players to get named to the All-Tournament Team for his performance over the weekend.
 
Hot Hand: The second UC player to get the All-Tournament Team nod was freshman Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian). He posted 12 points and two steals on a 4-for-6 shooting night against RPI to start things off. Then against Hilbert he took over the game by scoring 28 points, shooting 13-for-19 to carry the Pioneers to a three-point victory in the Hilbert Tip-Off Championship game.
 
Scouting Poly: The nearby Wildcats are currently 1-1 early in the season. The team defeated Purchase 76-63 in the season opener, but then fell to Oswego by a score of 93-65. Sophomore Josh Gregory is averaging 24.5 points per game, after putting up 29 points in the win and 20 more in the loss. Peyton Griffiths and Redell Freeman are both double-digit scorers as well, averaging 11.5 and 11 points per game respectively.
 
Last Meeting: In last year's meeting between UC and SUNY Poly, the Wildcats walked away with the win at home, 81-71. Redell Freeman finished with 29 points for Poly in the win, while teammate Josh Gregory posted a double-double with 16 points and 18 rebounds. Utica's Jake Kulakowski (Brewerton, NY/Central Square) scored 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field, while Tyler Jollie (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro) added six points off the bench.
 
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers are back on the road Sunday for a trip out to Cazenovia College. The game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.