Cazenovia, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team was on the road Sunday for a meeting with the Wildcats from Cazenovia. The Pioneers cruised to a 72-56 win behind Shawn Gashi's (Central Square, NY/Bishop Grimes) career-high 21 points, as they improve to 4-0 on the season.
 
UC took a big lead in the first half to seize control of the game. Gashi scored 14 of his career-best 21 points in the first, shooting 3-for-5 from deep. Junior Justin Strielkauskas (Waterbury, CT/Holy Cross) was on a double-double watch early on, putting up seven points and eight rebounds before halftime. Cazenovia was held to just 18 points in the first half, shooting 22.6% from the field. The Pioneers went into the locker room holding a 37-18 lead.
 
The Wildcats showed signs of life in the second half, as they put up 38 points in response to a poor shooting first half. However, once again the strong free throw shooting from Utica put the game away. Although Cazenovia's offense found a rhythm, the Pioneers went 22-for-28 at the charity stripe in the second half. UC remains undefeated on the year, as the team walked away with the 16-point victory on the road.
 
Shawn Gashi (Central Square, NY/Bishop Grimes) added five rebounds and two steals to his career-high 21 points, leading all scorers in the game. Justin Strielkauskas (Waterbury, CT/Holy Cross) completed his bid for a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 11 boards to secure his second double-double in a row. Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) came up shy of a double-double as he tallied nine points and eight rebounds. The Pioneers shot 31-for-38 at the foul line in the contest, making 24 more shots at the line than the Wildcats.
 
Cazenovia's Blake Bagozzi went 3-for-6 from beyond the arc to lead the team with 11 points. Lucci Vigliotti, Majesty Wilder, and Will Cutler each tallied seven points in the loss. The Wildcats are now 1-2 overall on the season.
 
The Pioneers are back in action on Thursday as they welcome the nearby Hamilton Continentals for some non-conference action. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.