Utica, NY - The Utica College men's basketball team is set to kick off Empire 8 conference play Tuesday night, hosting the Sage Gators at Miga Court. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.

Historic Win: Utica advanced to 9-2 with a 104-97 road win over the 22nd-ranked Hamilton Continentals Friday afternoon. This was the definition of a team victory, as six different Pioneers finished in double digits en route to Sean Coffey's 50th win as head coach at Utica College. This marked Coffey's first win over a ranked opponent during his four-year tenure and is also the first time UC has topped Hamilton since the 2009-10 season. Despite history not being on its side Utica took this matchup home in convincing fashion, only trailing for a total of 2:57 in its fifth-straight win. Free throws were a huge factor in this game, as UC went 48-of-59 from the line throughout this contest. Forty-eight made free throws marks a program record at Utica. Sophomore guard Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) led the way at the line, shooting 10-of-14 while finishing with a team-high 18 points on the afternoon. Senior forward Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) was also a catalyst for UC, as he posted a team-high three 3-pointers on the way to a 17-point night. Freshman point guard Brett Talbert (Deer Park, NY/Knox School) matched Remley with 17 of his own, marking his third-consecutive double-digit scoring game. Freshman Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill), who posted his first collegiate double-digit scoring game last Monday against Delhi with 16 points, followed with another successful performance, rounding out the UC score sheet with 11 points. The 6-foot-3 forward also knocked down the two biggest free throws of the game, lifting the Pioneers to a 102-97, two-possession advantage with only 24 seconds left to play.

Record Start: The Pioneers currently sit at 9-2 through the first 10 games of the season, which is the top record in the Empire 8 heading into conference play and the best start for Coffey in his time at Utica. This marks the most successful start in program history since the 2006-07 season, where UC also sat with a 9-2 record through 11 games and went on to finish the season 19-7 overall.

Winning Streak: UC is currently riding a five-game winning streak heading into this contest. Five straight wins is the longest winning streak since the 2017-18 season, where the Pioneers closed out the season with seven-straight wins. 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 (86.2)
• Field goal percentage (48.3%)
• Field goals made (319)
• Field goal percentage (48.3%)
• 3-point percentage (44.7 %)
• 3-point field goals made (101)
• Free throw percentage (76.6%)
• Blocked Shots (53)

Leaving No Doubt: The 2019-20 Pioneers also lead the Empire 8 in margin of victory, averaging a spread of 12.3 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 17th in the nation and first in the Empire 8 in blocks with 29 (2.64 per game) while totaling 84 (7.6 per game) rebounds thus far, which ranked third in the Empire 8. The 6-foot-8 center is also adding 7.9 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 84.1 percent (32-for-38) on his free throws. This percentage is good for second-best in the league, behind only Dennis Hare out of St. John Fisher.

Best in the Nation: UC men's basketball leads the nation in 3-point percentage, shooting 44.7 percent so far this season. Senior forward Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) leads the way, shooting a conference-best 54 percent (27-of-50) from downtown this season.

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 11 games - starting in nine of them - for the Pioneers, averaging a team-high 12.5 points per game. He also has team-highs in steals (16) and assists (25). 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 nine thus far. Morreale has also appeared in all 11 games this season as well, averaging 11.1 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.

Sage Scouting Report: Sage currently sits at 7-4 overall and is riding a three-game winning streak heading into this matchup. Sophomore forward Stuart Phair is the leader of this team, as he is averaging 10.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Jalon Borders is right behind him with 10.7 points per game.

Favorable History: The Pioneers hold a 3-1 all-time record against Sage since these two teams first started playing each other two seasons ago. UC split the matchup with Sage last season, winning at home, 74-57, but losing on the road, 95-89.

Up Next: The Pioneers remain at home for a matchup against Elmira this Friday at 5:30 p.m.