Utica, NY- After five consecutive road games the Utica College men's basketball team returns home this weekend, as it is set to play St. John Fisher and Elmira. Friday's tip-off against Fisher is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., while the Elmira matchup will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Last Time Out: UC dropped a close one at Hartwick, 74-72, in overtime to fall to 7-7 (1-4, E8) on the season. Shawn Gashi (Central Square, NY/Bishop Grimes), who is fourth in the E8 averaging 17 ppg, led the Pioneers in scoring with 19 points in the losing effort. Tyler Jollie (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro), Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) and Justin Strielkauskas (Waterbury, CT/Holy Cross) all registered double-digit points with 10 each in the contest. Hartwick dominated the paint, however, with 38 of the team's 74 points coming from inside.
 
A Lift From the Reserves: Of Utica's 72 points in its overtime loss to Hartwick, 52 came off of the bench. Seven players scored coming off the pine on Tuesday, while three of them reached double figures. The bench also accounted for 29 of the team's 45 rebounds in the game.
 
Home Sweet Home: UC will return home this weekend after hitting the road for five consecutive games over the span of two weeks. In those five games the Pioneers went 1-4, which included overtime losses to Sage and Hartwick. Friday night's meeting with St. John Fisher will mark the first of five straight home games for the team until it hits the road again on January, 29^th.
 
Updated Conference Standings: UC finds itself in seventh place through five conference games thus far. Here are the complete Empire 8 standings heading into the weekend: 1. Nazareth (5-0, E8), 2. St. John Fisher (5-0, E8),  3. Stevens (5-2, E8), 4. Alfred (3-1, E8), 5. Hartwick (2-4, E8), 6. Elmira (1-2, E8), 7. Utica (1-4, E8), 8. Sage (1-5, E8), 9. Houghton (0-5, E8).
 
Scouting St. John Fisher: The Cardinals are 10-4 overall and 5-0 in the Empire 8 so far this season. They most recently defeated Elmira College, 79-52, making them winners in five of the last six games. As a team, the Cardinals lead the E8 in points per game (82.3), average scoring margin (+9.8), field goal percentage (48%), and three-point percentage (36.5 %). On average they allow 72.5 per game, good enough for third in the E8. Three players average double figures for the Cardinals, Sammy Robinson (19.1 ppg, second in E8), Ryan Henderson (17.6 ppg, third in E8) and Matt Asenjo (13.6 ppg, 11th in E8).
 
Scouting Elmira: The Soaring Eagles are currently 3-9 overall and 1-2 in conference play as the weekend approaches. The team will face Hartwick on Friday before coming into town to take on the Pioneers Saturday. In its last game Elmira was blown out by St. John Fisher, losing by 27 points at home. Both Henry Cuffee and Jesse Adelson scored double-digits, combining for 25 points in the loss. The team shot 23.5% from the field against Fisher and was out-rebounded 48-27. Justin Porrett leads the conference in assists (7.4 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (3.2), while also ranking ninth in scoring with an average of 14.9 ppg.
 
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers will keep the sweet taste of home cooking for a while longer, as they play three more games in a row at the Harold T. Clark Athletic Center following this weekend's double set. Coming to town during this home stand will be Hartwick (1/22), Stevens (1/25) and Nazareth (1/26).