UTICA, NY - Five players scored in double figures tonight for the Utica University men's basketball team, helping lead to an 87-67 win over the Cazenovia College Wildcats on Monday night. 
 
The Wildcats came out clawing through the opening 15 minutes of the game. The visitors began the contest with a 13-7 edge while the Pioneers struggled to find success shooting from three. A pair of Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) free throws helped change the tide while Dayion Thompson (Beacon, NY/Kimball Union Academy) (two-point field goal) and Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) (three-point shot) followed up to make it 15-14. 
 
Brantley gave Utica its first lead of the night after a pair of free throws however, Cazenovia answered back with five straight points to go up 20-16. 
 
Later with just under seven minutes left in the half and the score tied at 26, the Pioneers reclaimed the lead on an Avery Coston (Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley) free throw after he tied the game on his first. Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) gave the team a three-point cushion the next time down the floor but the Wildcats eventually drew back even at 34-34 with 2:40 to play in the first. The Pioneers found some momentum entering the half, out-scoring Cazenovia 9-2 over the final 2:40, to take a 43-36 lead into the locker room. 
 
The momentum from the end of the first half carried over in the opening minutes of the second half. Morreale and Brantley hit back-to-back corner threes which put the team ahead by 11. The Wildcats wouldn't back down easy though. A 6-0 run brought the game to a 49-44 score Before the Pioneers kicked it into high gear. 
 
From the 15:57 mark until 8:19 left in the game, Utica went on a 22-4 run to take its largest lead of the night at 23 points. 
 
Utica never let Cazenovia come back within striking distance to help cruise away to a 20 point win. 
 
Brantley led the team in scoring with 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the floor followed by Morreale (5-for-10 FG) and Coston (4-for-10 FG) with 15 each and 13 points out of both Hopkins (4-for-7 FG) and Thompson (4-for7 FG). Morreale led the team with four steals and a pair of blocks and his four assists tied Thompson for a team high. His six rebounds trailed only Griffin Barasa's (Clearwater, FL/Calvary Christian) nine as well. 
 
Although the team found itself having an off night from deep (6-for-25 from three), Utica was exceptional from the line going 25-for-31 from the charity stripe as a unit. 
 
Utica (3-0, 0-0 Empire 8) will open Empire 8 play on