UTICA, NY - The Utica College men's basketball team will play the last of its five-game road trip on November 30 at Skidmore College before making its long-awaited home opener on December 4 against Hamilton College. Tuesday's tip-off at Skidmore is set for 6 p.m. while Saturday's game against Hamilton will start at 3 p.m.
Follow Along: Skidmore will provide live video on Tuesday through
https://livestream.com/skidmoreathletics as well as live stats through
https://skidmoreathletics.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary. On Saturday, fans not in attendance for the team's home opener can follow with video and/or live stats through
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/.
Last Time Out: Utica went on the road on November 22 and took down the Cazenovia Wildcats 81-59. The Pioneers offense ran through
Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and
Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) through the first seven minutes of the first half as the two combined for the first 13 Utica points which led to a 13-7 advantage at the 13:20 mark. From that point forward the rest of the UC offense warmed up with five others, along with Morreale and Hopkins, contributing towards the Pioneers' 42-point first half. After starting the half on fire, Morreale decided to close it out in style as well, nailing a three-pointer to beat the horn and carry Utica into halftime up 42-26. UC fed off of Morreale's buzzer beater, coming out of the break on a 9-0 run over the first three minutes of the second half. The Pioneers never took their feet off the gas throughout the remainder of the game as the team cruised to an 81-59 win over Cazenovia. Morreale led the team with 22 points as well as with eight rebounds. The junior also shot 9-for-12 from the field and 4-for-7 from three over his 29 minutes on the court. Hopkins' night ended with 13 points and five rebounds while
Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) stuffed his stat sheet with 12 points, six rebounds, a team high five assists and an effective 6-for-7 shooting from the field. In all, 10 different players scored while 42 of the teams' 81 points came in the paint.
Heat Check: Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) will look to keep his all-conference worthy start going this week against a pair of tough non-conference opponents. Morreale is the Empire 8's second leading scorer at 19 points per game while 72.5 field goal percentage tops the conference as does his 57.1 three-point percentage. While those numbers shout efficiency on their own, Morreale has also grabbed a team high 6.3 rebounds per game which puts him within the top-10 in the E8. Add in a block per game and the junior has shown all the signs that his hot start won't be just a start.
Calling on Damien: Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) has been one of the best reserves in the Empire 8 since his rookie of the year season in the spring. Call has played in each of the Pioneers' four games without a start, however, the sophomore provides instant scoring relief as he has put up nine points per game on 69.6 percent shooting, the second best mark in the conference. In 22.8 minutes per game Call ranks second on the team with 5.3 rebounds per game which is good enough for 15th in the E8. Aside from his numbers, Call's size, athleticism and instinct make him a threat to space the court and take control of the game at any given moment.
Defense Keeps Rolling: Through its first four games Utica has allowed a conference best 59.5 points per game which has helped lead to another conference best +15.3 scoring margin. The Pioneers boast the best field goal percent defense in the Empire 8 at 38.6 percent while also holding teams to under 30 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Keeping teams off of the glass has played a role in UC's defensive success as the team has allowed the second fewest rebounds per game to opponents (33.8) in the E8.
About Skidmore: The Thoroughbreds are 4-0 so far this season after defeating Stevens, SUNY Potsdam, Plattsburgh State and Hartwick College. The team has outscored opponents 73-56.5 per game while shooting over 42 percent from the field as a team. Skidmore presents four players averaging double figures in points; Tautvydas Kupstats with 20, Greg Skoric 15, Ty Lamport 12 and Riley Greene 11. The team has also been tough on the boards as they rank within the top-100 in Division III averaging roughly 43 rebounds per game. Skoric leads the way with 12.8 rebounds per outing.
Scouting Hamilton: The Continentals enter the week 3-3 overall and are fresh off of wins over Morrisville State and Union College this past weekend to claim the Sig Makofski Invitational at Union College. The team has been solid on offense averaging just under 80 points per game as a unit and feature six players averaging 10 or more points per game. Eric Anderson and Nick Osarreren have paved the way on offense for Hamilton as both have averaged over 15 points per game through six games.
Up Next: UC will be off for just over three weeks following the conclusion of the Hamilton game. The team will be ready to host the Utica College Holiday Classic on December 29 and 30 where they will take on Alfred St. on December 29 and Penn. State Behrend on December 30.
