Utica, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team begins the new year with a five game road trip, as Empire 8 Conference play gets going. The Pioneers will travel to face Sage on Friday at 7 p.m., before heading to Hoboken, NJ for a 4 p.m. meeting with Stevens on Saturday.
 
Last Time Out: UC lost to Vassar College in the championship game of the Utica College Basketball Classic, 92-88. A huge first half for the visiting Brewers gave them a 13-point lead at the half, as they shot nearly 64.3% from the floor and made eight shots from long range. The Pioneers stormed back in the second half, even tying the game at one point, but were unable to get over the hump to complete the comeback. Shawn Gashi (Central Square, NY/Bishop Grimes) recorded a career-high 28 points, while teammate Avery Coston (Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley) posted 21 points and eight boards.
 
Non-Conference Success: Throughout the first leg of the schedule Utica has found success, earning a 6-3 overall record against non-conference opponents. Head Coach Sean Coffey has improved each year against teams outside of the Empire 8, as UC's non-conference record in his first two seasons was 5-13. With conference play beginning Friday at Sage, the team will look to continue its success moving forward.
 
Conference Schedule: This weekend marks the start of Empire 8 competition for the 2018-2019 season, as the Pioneers matchup with Sage and Stevens. The first five games of conference play for Utica will be on the road, keeping the team away from its home court until January 18^th. The scale balances out as UC will then host five consecutive contests against E8 opponents. Conference play will close out with two straight home games for the Pioneers, as they will play Alfred and Houghton to end the regular season on February 15^th and 16^th. The team is aiming to return to the conference tournament for the third year in a row.
 
Fueling the Offense: Shawn Gashi (Central Square, NY/Bishop Grimes) is Utica's leading scorer and is currently fifth in the Empire 8 with an average of 17.6 points per game. Gashi has done it all on the offensive end this season, holding a top 10 spot in the conference in assists, field goal percentage, free throw attempts, and free throw percentage. He has continued his breakout season through the non-conference leg of the schedule, scoring 21 or more points in three of his last four outings. Gashi's 17 3-pointers on the year is second to only teammate Kobe Lufkin's (Argyle, NY/Argyle) 18 made shots from long range.
 
Scouting Sage: The Sage Gators are 4-6 overall and 0-1 in E8 play heading into Friday's matchup with UC. Sage defeated Castleton in its last game, 62-53, behind Isaiah Scurry's game-high 16 points (7-for-14 FG). Chris Kidd contributed all over the stat sheet, tallying 12 points, six rebounds and six assists. Despite shooting just 33.3% in the game the Gators forced Castleton to commit 25 turnovers. Scurry and Kidd lead the team in scoring, combining to put up 23.3 points per game. Sage's only conference contest was a 74-64 loss to Stevens earlier in the season.
 
Scouting Stevens: The Ducks are currently 8-2 overall on the season and are 1-0 in conference play. The team has won five in a row, as it will face-off with Elmira on Friday before hosting Utica the next day. Stevens most recent win came at the hands of Kean University behind Michael Zignorski's 27 point performance. He hit seven shots from beyond the 3-point arc in the win as he is the team's top scorer right now. Alec DiPietrantonio is the top rebounder in the conference right now, averaging 9.6 rebounds per game. In the team's conference win over Sage, Kevin Florio led the way with 22 points and six boards.
 
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers will have the whole week to prepare for another weekend of double duty, as they will travel to play both Alfred and Houghton. Friday's game at Alfred will begin at 7:30 p.m. and the Houghton game will start at 4 p.m. on Saturday.