Utica, NY - The Utica College men's basketball team is set to host Morrisville State in a non-conference matchup Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

Last Time Out: The Utica College men's basketball team topped Neumann University Saturday evening in the opening round of the University of Rochester Tournament by a score of 78-60. The first half of this contest was very close, as Utica held a slim 32-30 lead heading into the break. The second half completely flipped the script, as UC outscored Neumann 46-30 en route to its fourth win of the season. Utica's underclassmen had an extremely impressive outing in this contest. Sophomore guard Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) tabbed game-highs in points (20) and assists (six) while grabbing six boards in the process. Twenty points marked a season-high for Hopkins, and is his fourth 20-plus point game of his career. The freshman class impressed as well, as both Brett Talbert (Deer Park, NY/Knox School) and Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) finished the night with 14 points. Talbert dominated on both ends of the court, notching a game-high three steals while adding a personal season-high in rebounds with eight. Morreale had a breakout performance in this one as well, as he posted his first career double-double with 10 rebounds in addition to his 14 points. The team improved to 4-1 with this win, but fell to Rochester in the championship game, 69-58. Hopkins continued to impress in the championship round, finishing with a team-high 17 points. Junior center Kimedrick Murphy (Hudson, NY/Hudson) added 13 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, which marked his first double-double of the season, but it was not enough to secure a championship victory against the host team who received 33 votes in the national polls last week.
 
Team Effort: This year's squad has has put up some very impressive numbers, including conference-bests in 3-point percentage (40.7%) and blocked shots (36). The Pioneers have also held their opponents to a 39.5 shooting percentage from the field, which marks the lowest in the league. Utica sits at second in the Empire 8 in scoring (76.7 points per game), defensive rebounds per game (29.7) and assist/turnover ratio (1.20) as well.

Block Party: Junior center Kimedrick Murphy (Hudson, NY/Hudson) is currently ranked fourth in the nation and first in the Empire 8 in blocks with 23 while averaging 8.7 rebounds per game, which is good for second-most in the conference. The 6-foot-8 center is also adding 8.7 points per game for the Pioneers.

3-Ball: Junior forward Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) is leading the Pioneers from behind the arc, as he is shooting 50 percent from downtown this season. This ranks second in the Empire 8 conference. Remley is also leading Utica's overall scoring attack, averaging a team-best 13.2 points per game.

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 six games - starting in four of them - for the Pioneers, averaging 10.7 points per game. The 6-foot guard has finished scoring in double digits in all but two 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 five thus far. Morreale has also appeared in all six games this season, averaging 8.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. The Whitesboro High School alum notched his best performance of the season Saturday night against Neumann, as he tabbed a 14-point 10-rebound statline en route to his first career double-double as a Pioneer.

Scouting the Mustangs: Morrisville State sports a 2-3 record thus far in 2019 and has lost three of its last four games heading into the matchup with Utica. The last win for the Mustangs came in their most recent game, topping Wesley by a score of 79-61 on November 23. Senior forward Kevin Dennis leads the Mustangs in most categories, as he currently holds team-highs in both points (18) and rebounds (13.4) per game.

Favorable History: The series history between these two teams is dead even as they have a 2-2 record against each other. However, the Pioneers hold the advantage if recent history is any indication, as they have won the last two matchups by a combined margin of 23 points.

On The Horizon: Utica continues its four-game home stint Saturday, December 14 against Clarkson. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. at Miga Court.