Utica, NY - The Utica College men's basketball hits the road for an Empire 8 conference matchup against Elmira College Saturday, February 1. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. at Speidel Gymnasium.

Last Time Out: The Pioneers tallied their third-straight victory in a 77-65 win over the Hartwick Hawks Tuesday night to advance to 15-4. The one-two punch of freshman forward Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and sophomore guard Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) proved to be too much for the Hawks, as the two underclassmen each netted a team-high 19 points en route to the Pioneer's sixth conference win of the season. Both went to work and did so efficiently, as Morreale finished the night shooting 75 percent (6-of-8) from the field while Hopkins was right behind him with a 50 percent clip on 5-of-10 shooting. Junior center Kimedrick Murphy's (Hudson, NY/Hudson) effort under the basket in this contest cannot be overlooked, as the 6-foot-8 center totaled a game-high 15 boards. The Empire 8's leading rebounder fell two boards short of his career-high 17-rebound outing on Jan. 18 against Nazareth. The Pioneers came out on fire in this one, as they led by as much as 13 points in the first half of play. Time and time again Hartwick weathered the storm, heading into the half with only a six-point deficit (37-31). The Hawks picked up right where they left off in the second half, drawing within two by way of seven unanswered points at the 15:55 mark. Utica's resiliency was ultimately the difference-maker in this one; The Hawks tied the game at 47, 49, 51 and 53, but the Pioneers never let them take the lead. UC played a fast-paced game, outscoring Hartwick 16-4 on fast breaks. Freshman point guard Brett Talbert (Deer Park, NY/Knox School) was the third-leading scorer for the Pioneers, finishing with nine points in addition to his five rebounds. Murphy added eight points to his 15-rebound stat line, while sophomore guard Chris Green (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) and freshman forward Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) were right behind him with seven points of their own.

Where We Stand: The Pioneers have the best overall record in the Empire 8, and they currently sit at third in the conference with a 6-2 E8 record.

Previous Matchup: UC beat Elmira earlier this season on Jan. 10 by a score of 83-64, marking the Pioneer's second conference win of the season. Sophomore guard Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) led the way for Utica with 17 points, while the Pioneers outpaced Elmira in terms of shooting percentage; They shot 51 percent and held their opponents to only a 33.3 field goal percentage.

Best in the Nation: UC ranks fourth in the nation and first in the conference in 3-point percentage, shooting 40.4 percent so far this season. Freshman forward Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) leads the way with a team-best with a 43.8 shooting percentage from downtown, while senior forward Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) is right behind him shooting 42.7 percent clip. Sophomore guard Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) rounds out this group with a 42.4 3-point shooting percentage.

Team Effort: This year's squad leads the Empire 8 in all of the following categories:

Points per game (83.2)
3-point percentage (40.4 %)
Defensive rebounds per game (27.6)
Defensive rebounds (525)

Leaving No Doubt: The 2019-20 Pioneers also lead the Empire 8 in margin of victory, averaging a spread of 10.2 points per game.

Young Guns: Morreale is currently the second-leading scorer on the team. He is averaging 13.1 points per game, and he is also the second-leading rebounder on the team with 113 boards.  Classmate Brett Talbert (Deer Park, NY/Knox School) has done a little bit of everything as well for UC in his first year, averaging 10.3 points per game while totaling team-highs in steals (21) and assists (46).

Block Party: Junior center Kimedrick Murphy (Hudson, NY/Hudson) is currently tied for 31st in the nation and ranks first in the Empire 8 in blocks with 35 (1.94 per game) while totaling 164 rebounds (8.6 per game) thus far, which ranks atop the conference. The 6-foot-8 center is also adding 8.2 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 81.3 percent (65-for-80) on his free throws. This percentage currently ranks second in the conference.

Dominating History: The Pioneers are undefeated against Elmira College spanning over the last five seasons with a 10-game win streak and a 30-7 all-time record.

Scouting Elmira: Elmira is currently ranked at the bottom of the Empire 8 with a 2-17 overall record and a 1-7 conference record. EC has reached the 40 percent field-goal percentage plateau for the third time in as many games, tied for the longest such streak of the season. The Soaring Eagles were held without a 3-pointer against Nazareth for the first time in over 19 years. Rashaad Nurse tied his single-game career-high with his second consecutive 20-point performance. Nurse has scored in double figures in his last eight games, raising his per-game average by 3.9 points during that span.

Up Next: The Pioneers return home Friday for a matchup with Alfred University at 5:30 p.m.