Utica, NY - The Utica College men's basketball is set for a busy weekend, as it will host Elmira on Friday at 5:30 p.m. before going on the road for another Empire 8 matchup against Hartwick on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Last Time Out: Utica topped the Sage Gators 82-64 Tuesday night at Miga Court behind a 31-point performance from freshman forward Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro). The Pioneers advanced to 10-2 with this conference-opening win. Utica never trailed in this contest, taking its sixth-consecutive win in convincing fashion while holding on to the best overall record in the conference heading into Empire 8 play. Morreale had his best outing of the season. He added a game-high 13 rebounds on top of his career-high 31 points, tabbing his second-career double-double. His first came in a 14-point, 10-rebound showing against Neumann on Nov. 30. The Gators had no answer for the 6-foot-5 forward, as he finished the night shooting 11-of-14 from the field, 4-of-5 from 3-point land, and a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. Senior forward Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) totaled 14 points in this contest on 3-of-7 shooting from downtown. Junior guard Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) wrote a similar script, finishing with 12 points while shooting 4-of-6 from 3-point land. Freshman guard Brett Talbert (Deer Park, NY/Knox School) continued his stellar first-year campaign, netting eight points, five rebounds and a team-high four assists. Junior center Kimedrick Murphy (Hudson, NY/Hudson) put in work on the defensive end as he's done all season, swatting a game-high three blocks while grabbing eight boards in addition to his four points.

Record Start: The Pioneers currently sit at 10-2 through the first 12 games of the season, which is the top record in the Empire 8 heading into conference play and the best start for head coach Sean 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 10-2 record through 12 games and went on to finish the season 19-7 overall.

Chasing History: UC is currently riding a six-game winning streak heading into this contest. Six straight wins is the longest winning streak since the 2017-18 season, where the Pioneers closed out the season with seven-straight wins. A win over Elmira would tie Coffey's longest winning streak to date. 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 (85.8)
• Field goal percentage (48.3%)
• Field goals made (348)
• 3-point percentage (45.3 %)
• 3-point field goals made (112)
• Free throw percentage (76.3%)
• Blocked Shots (57)

Best in the Nation: UC men's basketball leads the nation in 3-point percentage, shooting 45.3 percent so far this season. Senior forward Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) leads the way, shooting a conference-best 52.6 percent (30-of-57).

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.

Sharing The Rock: At this point in the season, five different Pioneers are averaging double-digit scoring figures: Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (12.8), Brett Talbert (Deer Park, NY/Knox School) (12.2), Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) (11.8), Hunter Remley (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) (11.8) and Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) (11.4).

Young Guns: Freshmen Brett Talbert (Deer Park, NY/Knox School) and Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) are the top scorers on this team. Morreale is averaging a team-best 12.8 points per game while Talbert is right behind him with 12.2. Morreale is also the second-leading rebounder on the team, grabbing 76 boards so far. Talbert has done a little bit of everything, as he has team-highs in steals (17) and assists (29).

Block Party: Junior center Kimedrick Murphy (Hudson, NY/Hudson) is currently ranked 16th in the nation and first in the Empire 8 in blocks with 32 (2.7 per game) while totaling 92 (7.7 per game) rebounds thus far, which ranks fourth in the Empire 8. 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 82.5 percent (33-for-40) on his free throws. This percentage is good for second-best in the league, behind only Dennis Hare out of St. John Fisher.

Scouting Elmira: The Soaring Eagles sport a 1-10 record thus far in the 2019-20 season, and their lone win came just over a week ago against Spalding by a score of 60-55. Junior forward Shawn Backus leads the unit with 11.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Kyle Kokoskie has served as the facilitator for the soaring eagles all season, posting a team-best 34 assists.

Scouting Hartwick: The Hawks currently sit at 8-3 heading into the matchup with Utica, and have won their last two games. Like Utica, Hartwick has five players averaging double-digit scoring figures: Bobby Connors (13.7), Kyle Bradshaw (13.1), Tommy Kelly (13.1), Austin Haskell (12.8) and Pat Garey (11.9).

Favorable History: Utica College men's basketball has fared well against Elmira as of late, winning the last nine matchups dating back to 2015. The Pioneers also hold the all-time matchup advantage, as they have an overall record of 40-23 against Elmira. Utica also fares well in the Hartwick matchup, as it has won three of the last four matchups heading into Saturday's contest.

Up Next: The Pioneers have a week off before returning to the court on Friday, Jan. 17 for a conference matchup against St. John Fisher. This game is slated for a 5:30 p.m. start at Miga Court.