UTICA, NY- The Utica College men's basketball team got back on track Saturday as it downed visiting Houghton College 70-52 in Empire 8 Conference action.  Senior Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) collected his seventh double-double in the win.
 
With the win, the Pioneers improve to 11-9 overall and they are tied with St. John Fisher College for fourth in the E8 standigns with a 6-5 mark in conference play.  UC will return to action on Tuesday as it travels to Troy, NY to take on The Sage Colleges.  Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
The Pioneers jumped out to a 28-22 lead after the first half and then outscored Houghton by 12 in the second half to cruise to victory.   
 
Iton collected a game-high 14 rebounds, including ten off the defensive glass, and added 11 points to lead the way for Utica.  Freshman Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) also netted 11 points and dished out two assists off the bench. 
 
Freshman Avery Coston (Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley) totaled nine points and added five boards, while Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) chipped in with seven points and he also had a team-high two blocks.  Bennito Ayarza (Brooklyn, NY/Cayuga Community College), Shawn Gashi (Central Square, NY/Bishop Grimes), and Justin Strielkauskas (Waterbury, CT/Holy Cross) each finished with six points in the win.
 
The Utica bench came up big, outscoring the Houghton reserves 36-10.  The Pioneers also scored 22 points off of turnovers.