Elmira, NY - The Utica College men's basketball team topped the Elmira Soaring Eagles Saturday afternoon by a final score of 83-66 to advance to 16-4 on the season. This marks the Pioneer's fourth-straight win, advancing to 7-2 in the Empire 8.

Sophomore guard Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian), who is UC's leading scorer with an average of 13.9 points per game, pored in a game-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. Hopkins was feeling it from beyond the arc, also netting a game-high four 3-pointers.

Junior center Kimedrick Murphy (Hudson, NY/Hudson) was also a huge difference-maker in this game, tabbing his fourth double-double of the season on 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

UC set the tone early in this contest, working a comfortable 19-5 lead with just under 12 minutes left to play in the first half. This start was a perfect indication of how the rest of the game would unfold, as the Pioneers never gave up the lead for the duration of the contest. Utica led 40-28 heading into the half and outscored Elmira 43-38 in the second stanza to secure the victory. 

Junior guard Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) made huge contributions coming off the bench, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.

Freshman point guard Brett Talbert (Deer Park, NY/Knox School) rounded out the UC scorebook with 11 points while adding three assists in the winning effort.

The 7-2 conference record slates the Pioneers at third in the Empire 8, behind only Nazareth and St. John Fisher who each sit atop the E8 with an 8-1 conference record. Sage rounds out the top four teams in the conference with a 4-5 Empire 8 record.

Utica has a week off before returning to the court for a two-game weekend. The Pioneers are set to host Alfred on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Houghton on Saturday at 2 p.m.