Morrisville, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team faced-off against Morrisville State College on the road Saturday. The Pioneers improve their record to 5-1 overall, defeating the Mustangs 80-70.
 
Sophomore point guard Shawn Gashi (Central Square, NY/Bishop Grimes) led the way, as he matched his career-high of 21 points and made seven assists. Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) was the team's second leading scorer, coming off the bench, with a total of 16 points to go with his five steals on the defensive end. Justin Strielkauskas (Waterbury, CT/Holy Cross) notched his third double-double of the year with 15 point and 11 rebounds stat line.
 
Gashi and Strielkauskas had it going in the first half, combining for 24 of UC's 44 first half points. The Pioneers hit eight shots from beyond the arc in the opening half, shooting at a 44.4% clip from long range. The Pioneers entered the halftime break with a 15-point lead over Morrisville.
 
Lufkin put his imprint on the game with 10 points in the second half, shooting 4-for-8 from the field including two makes from 3-point territory. The Mustangs got it going in the second half, as Tyrin Miller and Lamel Falson combined for 30 points in the period. The deficit was too large for Morrisville to mount a comeback, as UC picked up the 10-point win.
 
Morrisville was led by Falson's 24 points and nine rebounds, shooting 9-for-13 from the floor in the loss. Kevin Dennis notched a double-double on 11 points and 13 boards, while teammate Tyrin Miller poured in 17. The Mustangs drop to 5-3 overall on the season.
 
The Pioneers are back in action on December 16^th, as they host Mount St. Mary for another non-conference contest. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 2 p.m.