Utica, NY - The Utica College men's basketball team advanced to 5-2 in a 89-75 victory over the Morrisville State Mustangs 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.

The Mustangs answered coming out of the locker room, working a 23-point deficit down to 11 points with 12:15 left to play. UC weathered the storm, as this would be the closest Morrisville State would come to the lead for the rest of the contest.

Morreale finished the evening with a team-high 18 points while adding five rebounds and one block. This marked a career-high for the 6-foot-5 forward and was his third double-digit scoring night 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 added 15 points in the winning effort and dished out a game-high five assists.

Freshman guard Brett Talbert (Deer Park, NY/Knox School) did a little bit of everything for UC, finishing with nine points and game-highs in both assists (five) and steals (three).

Sophomore guard Chris Green (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) had only two points, but they were the most emphatic of the game. The 5-foot-9 guard slammed home a breakaway, posterizing dunk over a Morrisville State defender that brought the entire crowd to their feet with 11:14 left in the contest.

Junior guard Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) and freshman forward Jackson Sullivan (Fairport, NY/Fairport) pitched in solid contributions off the bench, combining for 23 points on the night. Lufkin notched a 12-point statline on 2-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc while Sullivan converted on one 3-pointer and shot 5-of-10 from the field en route to a season-high 11 points.

Senior forward Ryan Johannes (Southbury, CT/Catholic University) posted his first points of the season on a corner 3 in the second half. He also grabbed three boards coming off the bench.

The Pioneers remain perfect at home with this win, and they will look to keep things rolling on Saturday, December 14 when they host the Clarkson Golden Knights at 2 p.m.