Utica, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team hosted Mount St. Mary College on Sunday for some non-conference hoops action. The Pioneers lost, 95-89, in double overtime after trailing the visiting Blue Knights by 22 points at halftime.
 
Mount Saint Mary controlled the first half of play with their defense, holding Utica to just 21 first half points. The visitors shot 56.7% from the floor in the opening half, and went 4-for-10 from beyond the 3-point arc. UC struggled shooting the ball, going 1-for-16 from long range in the first half. At the halftime break, the Blue Knights held a 43-21 advantage.
 
Utica turned it around in the second half with some defensive adjustments and forcing the ball inside the paint offensively. Kimedrick Murphy (Hudson, NY/Hudson) had a career day, posting career-highs of 18 points (8-for-11 FG) and 15 rebounds to notch the double-double. Shawn Gashi (Central Square, NY/Bishop Grimes) finished with a career-high 26 points, hitting multiple big shots in clutch moments including a lay-up in the final moments of regulation to tie the game up and send it to overtime. Murphy, Gashi, Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian), and Tyler Jollie (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro) all hit clutch shots down the stretch to help force overtime.
 
After going down by five points in the first overtime period, 3-point baskets by Avery Coston (Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley) and Gashi kept UC in the game. Murphy cleaned up a miss on the final possession of the -overtime and finished the put-back through contact to tie it up, with a chance at the foul line for the win. He was unable to sink the free throw, making the score 79-79, as the game went to a second overtime. The Blue Knights would jump out to a quick 10-point lead in the second overtime period, as the visitors walked away with a hard-fought six point victory.
 
Utica had five players reach double digit scoring in the loss, as the team's record drops to 5-2 overall on the season. Gashi finished with 26 points, while Murphy had 18 points, 15 boards, three steals and two blocks. Avery Coston (Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley) added 17 points and five rebounds off the bench. Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) and Tyler Jollie (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro) scored 13 and 10 points respectively. UC showed resilience in battling back from being down 22 points at halftime, outscoring the opponent 50-28 in the second half to force extra time.
 
Mount St. Mary was led by Kendall Francis' 34 points, as he shot 7-for-13 from deep. Paul Sienke posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards, while teammates Tristan Millett and Ethan Fox each scored 10. Jameson Morton added 19 points, as the Blue Knights improved to 8-1 overall on the season.
 
The Pioneers are back in action on December 29^th for the Utica College Basketball Classic. UC will face-off against Fredonia at 4 p.m. to start the first day of play for the weekend tournament.