Albany, NY – The Utica College men's basketball team matched up against Sage on the road Friday to open up the Empire 8 conference schedule for the season. A big second half comeback effort by the Pioneers sent the game to overtime, but they ran out of steam as the Gators earned the 95-89 win.
 
Utica had trouble putting points on the board in the first half, as Sage held a 14-point advantage at the mid-game break. Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) hit 3-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc in the first, leading the team with 10 points at halftime. Chris Kidd went a healthy 6-for-7 from the floor in the opening half to lead all scorers with 13 in the opening period of play.
 
Freshman Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) lit it up in the second half of the contest to spark the UC comeback. Hopkins scored 19 of his team-high 24 points in the second. Tyler Jollie (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro) also found a rhythm with his shot, scoring eight of his points down the stretch of regulation. Despite pushing the game into extra time, the Pioneers were unable to get it done in overtime, as they begin conference competition with a loss.
 
Hopkins led Utica with 24 points coming off the bench, while Lufkin contributed 19 of his own. Tyler Jollie (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro) finished with nine points, as UC's record goes to 6-4 overall and 0-1 in the Empire 8. The team's comeback was fueled by a 55-point effort in the second half.
 
Chris Kidd led the way for the Gators, recording a career-high 30 points and 13 points to notch the double-double. Isaiah Scurry, Joshua Gonzalez, and Darius Denmark all scored double-digits in the win. Frane Larose did a little bit of everything to secure a stat line of eight points, nine assists, six rebounds, and six steals to help improve Sage's record to 5-6 overall and 1-1 in E8 play.
 
The Pioneers are back at it on Saturday as they travel to Hoboken, NJ to take on Stevens for another conference matchup. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 4 p.m.