Utica, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team heads to the Empire 8 Tournament on Friday, hosted by Nazareth, to take on Stevens in semifinals. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 8 p.m.
 
Admissions: Entrance into 2017-18 Empire 8 Tournament games will require an admission fee. Ticket prices are as follows: $5 for general public, $3 for students/faculty with ID, $3 for senior citizens/youth, and free for children under 12 years old.
 
Live Feed: Empire 8 Conference Tournament host Nazareth will be providing live stats and video for the entire weekend. Live options for this weekend's games can be found here: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/nazareth/.
 
Hot at the Right Time: After losing three of its last four in the month of January, UC was sitting at 10-9 overall and 5-5 in E8 play. Then the team started February with a 70-52 win over Houghton, and continued to pick up momentum from there. The Pioneers have now won six games in a row (6-0 in the month of February), as they have gotten hot just in time for a run at the Empire 8 Conference Tournament. Finishing the regular season at 16-9 overall and 11-5 in conference competition, UC has the longest active win-streak in the Empire 8 heading into the E8 Tournament.
 
Empire 8 Tournament: The seeding for this year's E8 Tournament is as follows: 1. Nazareth (13-3 E8), 2. Stevens (12-4 E8), 3. Utica (11-5 E8), 4. Alfred (11-5 E8). Host Nazareth will face Alfred at 6 p.m. on Friday, before the Utica/Stevens game at 8 p.m. The winner of each contest will meet on Saturday in the Empire 8 Conference Championship game at 4 p.m. For more information, visit the official tournament webpage at: http://www.empire8.com/tournaments/?id=40.
 
UC's Tournament History: Under the direction of Head Coach Sean Coffey, this will be the second consecutive season that the Pioneers have earned a spot in the conference tournament. Last year, as the No. 3 seed, UC matched up against Stevens in the semifinals where the team was eliminated after a 79-71 loss. Utica holds an all-time record of 3-7 in the Empire 8 Tournament (0-2 against Stevens), and is looking for its first E8 Tournament win since the 2006-07 season. UC has earned a record of 1-4 all-time when entering the tournament as the No. 3 seed. Utica's last appearance in the championship game came in 2006-07, when the team fell to St. John Fisher, 78-73, in overtime.
 
Iton's Late-Season Surge: Senior Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) has been vital to UC's success during this six-game run to gain entrance into the conference tournament. Iton has averaged 18.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game, while shooting 64.5% from the field throughout the six-game win streak. In the team's 75-71 overtime win over Stevens (to clinch a spot in the E8 tournament), Ivan nearly posted a triple-double as he led the way with 29 points (9-for-14 FG, 11-for-16 FT), 11 rebounds, and eight blocks. His performance over the last two weeks of the season earned him E8 Player of the Week honors, two weeks in a row.
 
Jollie Heating Up: Sophomore Tyler Jollie (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro) has stepped it up over the past three games and looks to keep up his hot shooting. In the last three contests, Jollie has put up a total of 29 points (9.7 per game) after scoring just 10 points combined in the previous seven games (1.4 per game). He has found great success from beyond the 3-point arc, shooting 8-for-12 (66.7%) in the last three games. Jollie has made some big shots during this hot streak, but none more important than his 3-point basket against Stevens with just five seconds left that sent the game to overtime. His shot allowed UC to complete the comeback in overtime, as the team gained entrance into the E8 Tournament.
 
Remley Finding his Rhythm: Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) has been consistent over the past seven games, scoring at least seven points in each. However, Remley really found his groove when the team needed it most in the past two matchups. In Utica's 85-73 win over Alfred, he scored all of his points in the second half as he led the team with 18 points. He was on fire in the second half, shooting 6-for-7 from the field and 4-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc. During UC's last win over Stevens, Remley provided six of the team's 10 points in the overtime period, leading to the four-point victory.
 
Utica & Stevens Round Three: Not only will Friday's matchup with Stevens be the third time this year the two teams have met, but it will also mark the third all-time meeting between these two teams in the Empire 8 Tournament. The No. 2 seed, Stevens, is currently 2-8 all-time (2-0 against Utica) in the conference tournament. While the Ducks defeated UC in the E8 Tournament's semifinals in 2016-17 and 2012-13, they split the regular season series with the Pioneers this year. Stevens beat Utica in the first battle (85-54) before falling in overtime in the second contest (75-71). Both programs are still looking for their first ever Empire 8 Tournament Championship.
 
Looking Ahead: If the Pioneers defeat Stevens on Friday they will earn the opportunity to play the winner of the Nazareth/Alfred game in the Empire 8 Tournament Championship. The championship game will be played on Saturday, beginning at 4 p.m.