Utica, NY - The Utica College men's basketball team is set to host the Clarkson Golden Knights in a non-conference matchup Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.

Last Time Out: The Pioneers advanced to 5-2 with an 89-75 victory over the Morrisville State Mustangs last Wednesday night at Miga Court. This one was a lopsided contest from the beginning, as the Pioneers jumped out to an early 16-0 lead at the 14:44 mark in the first half. Freshman forward Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) powered this run, accounting for nine of the Pioneers' first 16 points on three 3-pointers. Sophomore guard Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) also came out of the gates firing, as he netted 13 first-half points to give the Pioneers a comfortable 53-32 lead heading into the break. Morreale finished the evening with a team-high 18 points while adding five rebounds and one block. This marked a career-high scoring night for the 6-foot-5 forward, and it was his third double-digit scoring game of the season. The Whitesboro alum did the majority of his work from 3-point land, finishing the night shooting 4-of-5 from downtown. Junior center Kimedrick Murphy (Hudson, NY/Hudson) fell just one rebound short of his second double-double of the season, tabbing 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds. He also added two blocks in the process. Hopkins poured in 15 points in the winning effort and dished out a game-high five assists as well.

Rest Up: Utica's contest against Morrisville State on December 4 marked the last time it took the court. The team will have a week and a half off-period heading into this contest, which marks the longest span without a game for the Pioneers since the season started.

Team Effort: This year's squad has has put up some very impressive numbers, including conference-bests in 3-point percentage (41.8 percent) and blocked shots (39). Utica sits at second in the Empire 8 in scoring (78.4 points per game), defensive rebounds per game (28.6) and assist/turnover ratio (1.32) as well. The Pioneers have also held their opponents to a 40.6 shooting percentage from the field, which marks the third-lowest in the league.

Leaving No Doubt: The 2019-20 Pioneers lead the Empire 8 in margin of victory, averaging a spread of 8.4 points per game.

Block Party: Junior center Kimedrick Murphy (Hudson, NY/Hudson) is currently ranked eighth in the nation and first in the Empire 8 in blocks with 25 while averaging 8.7 rebounds per game, which leads the conference. The 6-foot-8 center is also adding 9.4 points per game for the Pioneers.

3-Ball: Senior forward Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) is leading the Pioneers from behind the arc, as he is shooting 48.6 percent (18-of-37) from downtown this season. Remley is also the second leading scorer for UC with 11.3 points per game behind only Hopkins, who currently sports a 12-point scoring average thus far.

Young Guns: Freshmen Brett Talbert (Deer Park, NY/Knox School) and Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) have proven to be consistent contributors to this team in their first collegiate season. Talbert has appeared in all seven games - starting in five of them - for the Pioneers, averaging 10.4 points per game. The 6-foot guard has finished scoring in double digits in all but three games this season. Sophomore guard Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) is the only player to finish with more double-digit scoring nights, as he has totaled six thus far. Morreale has also appeared in all seven games this season as well, averaging 10.1 points and six rebounds per game. The Whitesboro High School alum notched his best performance of the season Wednesday night, as he tabbed an 18-point, five-rebound statline. He also finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds two Saturdays ago in a win over Neumann, marking his first-career double-double.

Clarkson Scouting Report: The Golden Knights are currently 3-5 thus far in 2019, and they have lost four of their last five heading into the matchup with Utica. Sophomore guard Chris Hulbert leads the team in scoring (16.1 points per game) and steals (eight). The Clifton Park, New York native has also added 15 assists this year, which is good for second-most on the team. Sophomore forward Reese Swedberg has been a force underneath the basket, averaging 13.3 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game.

Even History: These two teams have split right down the middle since they first started playing each other all the way back in 1967, as they have both notched 14 wins over the course of 28 matchups. UC has not seen Clarkson since 2011, where it won by a close score of 82-79. The Pioneers also won five years prior by a more convincing decision of 78-52. The sole win for Clarkson over the last three matchups came in 2007, where it topped UC 59-48.

Utica College Classic: The Pioneers return to action on December 29 and 30, as they are set to host the 2019 Utica College Classic. Utica will open up this four team-tournament against Anna Maria at 4 p.m. on Sunday before facing SUNY Delhi the following day at 3 p.m. RPI rounds out this tournament pool. For additional information about the Utica College Classic, be sure to check out the tournament page HERE.