Utica, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team is at home on Sunday for a non-conference matchup with Mount St. Mary. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 2 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: UC defeated Morrisville State College in its last game, with the final score reading 80-70. Shawn Gashi (Central Square, NY/Bishop Grimes) matched his career-high, scoring 21 points to go with seven assists and four rebounds. Justin Strielkauskas (Waterbury, CT/Holy Cross) posted his third double-double of the season on 15 points and 10 rebounds. Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) finished with 16 points and five steals off the bench, shooting 4-for-9 from downtown. The team is now 5-1 overall on the year heading into Sunday's contest.
 
Running the Offense: In just his second year at the collegiate level Shawn Gashi (Central Square, NY/Bishop Grimes) is controlling the ball on the offensive end to lead the way. Gashi is the team's leading scorer at 15.3 points per game and averages a team-best 3.3 assists a game. He has just one game this season so far in which he failed to score at least 14 points and is coming off arguably the best overall performance of his career against Morrisville.
 
The Sixth Men: Freshman Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) is Utica's second-leading scorer, providing significant production off the bench. Hopkins is putting up 11.2 points per game and is shooting just under 50% from the floor at a 48.1% clip. Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) has also solidified himself as a reliable source of scoring coming off the bench. Averaging 10.3 points per game, Lufkin is a top four scorer on the squad and has made a team-high of 11 3-point shots while shooting 42.3% from deep.
 
Battling Down Low: Junior Justin Strielkauskas (Waterbury, CT/Holy Cross) has been cleaning up the glass this season, averaging 8.8 rebounds a game to lead the team. He has also matched his rebounding success in the scoring column, putting up 10.3 points per game. Although he is averaging just under a double-double each contest, Strielkauskas has accumulated three double-doubles over the last four games.
 
Scouting the Knights: Mount St. Mary is currently 4-1 overall and 2-1 against Skyline Conference opponents. The team is used to playing in close matchups, as every game so far this season has been decided by single digits. The Knights recently defeated Old Westbury, 81-76, in their last contest. Kendall Francis led the way with a 34 point performance where he shot 10-for-19 from the floor and 9-for-12 at the foul line. Francis is the top scorer on the team, averaging 25.4 points per game, and leads the Knights in rebounds, assists, and steals.
 
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers have a brief break before hosting the Utica College Basketball Classic. The team will play Fredonia on December 29^th at 4 p.m. for round one of the weekend tournament.