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BrettTalbert

Pioneers Kick Off 2020 at Hamilton

Utica, NY - The Utica College men's basketball team will head on the road for a non-conference matchup against the Hamilton College Continentals this Friday at 2 p.m.

Clean Sweep: The Pioneers swept the Utica College classic last Sunday and Monday, posting wins over both Anna Maria and SUNY Delhi. UC kicked off the tournament with a convincing 102-72 victory over Anna Maria Sunday evening, where freshman guard Brett Talbert (Deer Park, NY/Knox School) finished with team-highs in points (21) and steals (4). Junior guard Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) also impressed, as he poured in 18 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point land. Sophomores Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) (15) and Jackson Sullivan (Fairport, NY/Fairport) (11) along with freshman Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (10) were the only other Pioneers to finish in double digits. Sean Coffey's team kept things rolling in Monday's contest against SUNY Delhi, as it took this one by a 92-65 decision. Talbert matched his team-high of 21 points from the day before, while also leading the Pioneers in assists (4) and steals (3). Freshman forward Justice Brantley was a difference-maker in this one as well, as he had a breakout performance with a season-high 16 points. He also added three rebounds in the process.

MVP: Talbert was named Most Valuable Player of the Utica College Classic. The Deer Park, New York native finished with a season-high 21 points in both games, marking the first 20-plus point games of his collegiate career. He also got things done on the defensive end, combining for a tournament-high seven steals.

Record Start: The Pioneers currently sit at 8-2 through the first 10 games of the season. This marks the best start in program history since the 2006-07 season, where UC also sat with an 8-2 record through 10 games and went on to finish the season 19-7 overall.

Winning Streak: UC is currently riding a four-game winning streak heading into this contest, as the team posted wins against Morrisville State on December 4 (89-75) and Clarkson on December 14 (101-89) before the UC Classic. The last loss for UC came over a month ago against Rochester - a team who was and still is receiving votes in the national rankings - in the University of Rochester tournament championship by a final score of 69-58.

Team Effort: This year's squad leads the Empire 8 in all of the following categories:
  • Points per game (84.4)
  • Field goal percentage (47.9%)
  • Field goal defense (40%)
  • 3-point percentage (44.2%)
  • Field goals made (95)
  • Free throw percentage (75.2%)
  • Defensive Rebounds (297)
  • Blocked Shots (51)
Utica's 44.20 shooting percentage from beyond the arc is also ranked third in the nation, behind only Earlham (45) and Wisconsin-La Crosse (44.40).

Leaving No Doubt: The 2019-20 Pioneers also lead the Empire 8 in margin of victory, averaging a spread of 12.8 points per game. UC ousted its opponents by a combined 57 points last weekend in the UC Classic, which is the highest combined margin of victory over two consecutive games this season.

Block Party: Junior center Kimedrick Murphy (Hudson, NY/Hudson) is currently ranked 14th in the nation and first in the Empire 8 in blocks with 28 while totaling 80 rebounds thus far, which also leads the conference. The 6-foot-8 center is also adding 7.6 points per game for the Pioneers.

Free Throws: Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) has been lights out from the charity stripe, as he is currently shooting 90 percent (27-for-30) on his free throws.

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 eight games - starting in eight of them - for the Pioneers, averaging a team-high 12.1 points per game. He also has team-highs in steals (14) and assists (23). The 6-foot guard has finished scoring in double digits in all but four 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 eight thus far. Morreale has also appeared in all 10 games this season as well, averaging 10.7 points and six rebounds per game. His most impressive outing came on November 30 against Neumann in the opening round of the University of Rochester Tournament, where he tabbed his first-career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Hamilton Scouting Report: The Continentals currently sport an impressive 9-1 record thus far. The only loss of the season for Hamilton came at the hands of SUNY Purchase, who won by a 21-point margin of 97-76. The last time the Continentals took the court, they convincingly beat the 17th-ranked Nichols, 92-67. Senior guard Kena Gilmour has done the majority of the work for Hamilton this season, as he is averaging 22 points per game. The next highest scorer is Mark Lutz, who is averaging 9.2 points per game.

Up Next: The Pioneers return home to kick off Empire 8 conference play against Sage this Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
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