UTICA, NY - The Utica College men's basketball team held off an emotional Houghton College Highlanders team for a 70-60 win on Real Men Wear Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Night. 
 
The Highlanders opened the game on a 9-3 run with seven points coming in the paint. Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) scored the next three baskets for the Pioneers to even the game at nine with 13:30 to play. From that point until just over four minutes left, neither side was able to gain more than a three point lead until the Highlanders went up 29-24. UC ended the half on a floater by Hopkins and a Layup by Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) to enter the half behind 29-28. 
 
After Kimedrick Murphy (Hudson, NY/Hudson) started the half with a layup to put Utica up by one, Houghton went on a 16-3 run over four minutes for a game-high 12 point lead with under 16 minutes to play. This lit a spark underneath the Pioneers as the team went on a 18-0 run of their own to lead the Highlanders 51-45 at the 10 minute mark. 
 
A pair of layups by Chris Green (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) and a big three-pointer by Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) helped push UC ahead 60-57 until under four minutes left when Hopkins extended the lead to five on a jumper. Over the last three minutes the Highlanders were held to three points while a Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) breakaway dunk with 30 seconds left iced the game and sealed the win for Utica. 
 
With his 19 points tonight on 4-for-8 three-point shooting, Lufkin now sits two points away from 1,000 in his career. For the second night in a row, Hopkins led Utica in points as he ended the game with 23 on 9-for-16 shooting. Off the bench, Brantley added nine points on 50 percent shooting while Avery Coston (Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley) made his presence felt with 10 rebounds and three assists. 
 
UC (12-3, 6-1 Empire 8) will host Keystone College on Tuesday in a non-conference meeting. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.