UTICA, NY - The Utica College men's basketball team continues its homestand this week with three games at Miga Court. UC will take on SUNY Poly on Monday at 6 p.m. before beginning conference play against Elmira College on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Keuka College on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Follow Along: Live video and stats will be available for all three games this week through
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/.
Last Time Out: The Utica College men's basketball team came away winners in the battle of the Pioneers with a 90-77 win over Alfred State in the Utica College Classic on December 29. Alfred St. controlled much of the first half as the team either held the lead or was tied with Utica through the first 12 minutes of the game. UC claimed its first lead at 20-19 with 7:55 left in the first half off of a
Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) layup in what was his season debut. Alfred St. responded back quickly with a bucket to go up 21-20 however,
Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) scored for UC on the following possession which would put the team in the lead for the remainder of the game. Utica would go on to take a 44-31 lead into halftime. In the first few minutes of the second half,
Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro),
Avery Coston (Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley) and Hopkins contributed to extending UC's lead to 51-33. Alfred St. turned on the pressure throughout the second half which led to a few costly Utica turnovers that helped Alfred St. crawl back within 10 points with under 10 minutes to play. The Pioneers were eventually able to break the press, leading to 26 fast break points en route to their 90-77 win. Morreale led the Pioneers with 23 points on 55 percent shooting (11-20) and also came away with seven rebounds. Hopkins totaled 16 points while Coston ended with 11 and
Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) with 10.
Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) led the team with eight rebounds while he and
Chris Green (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) totaled nine points each in the win.
Tommy Terrific: After another 20-point outing against Alfred State,
Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has now scored at least 20 points in three out of his last four games as well as in four of seven games overall. His 19.7 points per game is second in the Empire 8 while his efficient shooting from all over the floor has helped rank him second in the country in three-point percentage (60%) and 19th in field goal percentage (63.9%).
Backcourt Play: The trio of
Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle),
Chris Green (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) and
Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) continue to facilitate the Pioneers' second-ranked offense in the conference and high motor defense around the perimeter, also helping Utica allow the second fewest points per game in the E8. All three of them rank within the top-25 in the conference in points and steals per game as well as within the top-20 in assists per game. On average Lufkin, Green and Hopkins combine for 31.5 points per game, 6.8 assists and 4.4 steals per game.
Settling In: Wednesday's game against Alfred State was the second straight game in which guard
Griffin Barasa (Clearwater, FL/Calvary Christian) logged 15 or more minutes. The freshman was handed 17 valuable minutes against a press-heavy Alfred State team and was able to break it like a seasoned veteran after a couple hiccups early on. Although his sample size is small, Barasa has shot 50 percent from the field on 12 attempts in five appearances this season. In his last game the Florida native set career highs with four assists and three steals, both of which mainly came in fast break opportunities. He also currently finds himself 15th in the Empire 8 averaging 1.3 steals per game despite averaging just 13.5 minutes per game.
Scouting Poly: The Wildcats enter Monday 7-4 overall, 3-0 in North Atlantic Conference play and fresh off of an 80-79 loss to Alfred State on December 30. Poly, who is 4-0 on the road this season, has outscored opponents 76-68 this season on the back of an extremely efficient offense that shoots 50 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from three-point. Josh Gregory is not only one of the most prolific scorers in the NAC, but his 24.7 points per game ranks 10th in Division III. Jesse O'Dell is the only other Wildcat averaging double figures in points as the junior adds 13.5 per game on nearly 55 percent shooting. UC holds an 18-10 advantage all-time over SUNY Poly including an 85-82 win at Poly in the most recent meeting in November 2019.
A Look at Elmira: The Soaring Eagles (2-6, 0-0 E8) face one final non-conference test against St. Lawrence on Sunday before opening league play against Keuka and Utica on Tuesday and Saturday. Bryan Adams is sixth in the conference averaging 16.5 points per game on 33.1 percent shooting while as a team the Eagles are eighth in the conference averaging 66.3 points per game as well as with a 36.9 shooting percentage. Rashaad Nurse adds 10 points and six rebounds per game for an Elmira team that averages the fourth most boards per game in the E8.
About Keuka: The Wolves are currently 0-8 and will go up against Elmira and Alfred University before coming to Miga Court on Saturday. Although Keuka is the 28th highest scoring team in the country averaging 86.7 points per outing, they allow the third most points per game in DIII as opponents have averaged 106 points per game against them. Devin Milton leads the team with 13.5 points per game while Jahmr Jordan, Nana Oteng and Mason VanDeMortel all average 10.1 or more points per game as well.
Up Next: UC will enter the thick of conference play next week with a home game against Hartwick College on January 11 at 7:30 p.m., and a pair of road games at St. John Fisher on January 14 and Nazareth College on January 15.
