Utica, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team hosted Alfred University on Friday for some Empire 8 action. The Pioneers won, 85-73, improving to 15-9 overall and 10-5 in conference play.
Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining)'s 16 point, 13 rebound double-double helped the team extend its winning streak to five games.
Early on in the second half,
Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) converted a 4-point play to stretch the lead to 42-28. In the span of 2:15, Remley would hit three consecutive shots from beyond the 3-point arc on his way to scoring 11 straight points for UC and giving the team a 21-point lead with 12:42 remaining in the game. Alfred battled back and cut the deficit to just nine points with 3:52 left on the clock. The Pioneers did not allow the game to get any closer, as they came away with the 12-point victory at home.
The majority of the first half was a tight game, as Utica led 13-12 with the clock reading 9:22. Alfred was able to take a one point lead with less than five minutes until halftime, thanks to an 8-2 run. In just 2:49, the Pioneers went on a 13-0 run to gain a 36-24 advantage with only 59 seconds left in the half. Utica entered the locker room with a 10-point lead at the mid-game break.
Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) notched a double-double in the contest, finishing with 16 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and five blocks. Sophomore
Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) was UC's high scorer, pouring in 18 points (4-for-6 3-pt) all in the second half.
Carl Taylor (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) scored 16 points, while
Tyler Jollie (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro) tallied 12 points and five boards off the bench.
Alfred's Nick Schmidt scored a game-high 20 points in the loss, as the team drops to 17-7 overall and 10-5 in E8 play. Scotty Stopera poured in 14 points, while Sage Brown added 11 of his own. Dalton Cousin came up short of the double-double, finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds.
The Pioneers are back home on Saturday for a vital conference matchup against Stevens. The game is set to tip off at 2 p.m., with a trip to the Empire 8 Conference Tournament on the line.
