Houghton, NY – The Utica College men's basketball got its first Empire 8 conference win on Saturday against Houghton College on the road. The Pioneers won, 77-58, behind a balanced, full-team effort across the board.
 
UC was able to secure an edge on the scoreboard in the first half, as Tyler Jollie (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro) led all scorers at the break with eight points. Shooting just below 50% from the floor, Utica held a 35-26 lead going in to halftime.
 
The Pioneers came back with an even better shooting performance in the second half, making 60.9% of their shots to close out the contest. Jabri Lateef (Orange, NJ/Union) went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field in the second half on his way to a career-high eight points. Justin Worth (Catskill, NY/Catskill) also got it going in the second, scoring all nine of his points in the final 20 minutes of play. The team coasted to the 19-point win on the road, improving to 7-6 overall and 1-3 in E8 play.
 
Tyler Jollie (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro) shot 3-for-4 from beyond the arc to fuel his team-high 11 points for Utica. Avery Coston (Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley) pitched in with 10 of his own, as the only other player to reach double figures. 12 different players on the UC roster scored in the game, with eight of them scoring five or more points in the win.
 
A total of 38 bench points and a shooting mark of 54% is evidence of team play and good shot selection. The all-around team effort is shown through UC outrebounding Houghton, 33-29, with only one player grabbing more than five rebounds. Saturday's win snaps a four game losing streak and gets the Pioneers back on track in the midst of conference competition.
 
Houghton was led by Isander Ramos-Net and Antonio Deadmon, who combined for 23 points on the day. Akil Grampus was effective off the bench, just missing a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. The Highlanders are now 1-13 overall, 0-5 in conference play, and have lost five in a row.
 
UC returns to action on Tuesday for its final road game before a five game home stand. The team will travel to take on Hartwick College for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.