UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's basketball team will host its fifth annual Utica University Classic from December 29-30. On December 29, the Pioneers will host the SUNY Delhi Broncos at 4 p.m. in one semifinal game before the Oswego State Lakers and Emmanuel College Saints clash in the other semifinal at 6 p.m. December 30 will feature the consolation contest at 1 p.m. followed by the finals at 3 p.m. 
 
Follow Along: Those unable to attend can follow along with live video and/or stats for all four games via https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/. 
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers turned in a gutty performance despite an 85-78 loss to the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons on December 17. Neither side was able to create much breathing room through the first 10 minutes of play. The teams traded blows until the game was even at 16-16 approaching the nine minute mark with the largest lead in that span being three points by Cortland. The Red Dragons began to put some pressure on the Pioneers with back-to-back three-pointers while hitting another one from deep a few possessions later to go ahead 25-16 with 7:38 left in the first half. Griffin Barasa (Clearwater, FL/Calvary Christian) stopped the bleeding with an answer from downtown to cut Cortland's lead to six. The Red Dragons eventually claimed a seven point advantage with 1:40 to play before Avery Coston (Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley) converted on a layup to put Utica within five. Now 40-33 with three seconds remaining, Dayion Thompson (Beacon, NY/Kimball Union Academy) found an open Luke Bourgault (Troy, NY/LaSalle Institute) in the corner who drained a three as time expired to put the Pioneers within four entering the break. Both teams shot well in the first half as Utica went 15-for-32 from the field and 4-for-9 from three while Cortland was 16-for-37 from the floor and 6-for-13 from deep. Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) each shot 50 percent in the first half while Morreale also hit two of his three three-point attempts. Now 53-50 Cortland with 14:53 on the clock, Brantley knocked down a three to tie the score before giving the Pioneers their first lead of the game since 10:09 in the first with a driving layup with a hair under 14 remaining. The lead didn't last long as the Red Dragons responded with a quick 6-0 run to go ahead 59-55 with 12:30 left. Cortland extended its lead to eight points with under 10 minutes left in the contest before Utica came storming back again. Back-to-back layups by Thompson and Morreale made it a 70-66 contest before Thompson made it a two point game with a pair of free throws. Cortland's next trip down the court resulted in a missed three-pointer, leaving the door open for Morreale to tie the game at 70 with another bucket inside the paint. However, as they did all game, the Red Dragons responded with a three to go back up by three points while Brantley came back with a field goal to make it a 73-72 game. Coston was able to force a turnover on the ensuing Cortland possession while the big man found Bourgault up the court for a fastbreak layup and the lead. From there, Cortland went on a 7-0 run from the 4:38 mark until 2:48 to play. The Pioneers fought back to come within three with 1:08 to play but the Red Dragons hit another key shot and capitalized from the line to hand Utica its first loss of the year. The Red Dragons had one of their best shooting performances of the year, going 51.6 percent from the floor and 52.4 percent from three. For the Pioneers, Brantley led the way with a career high 26 points (.478/.400/1.000) to go with five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Morreale netted 16 points (.545/.667/.500) alone with six boards and a pair of blocked shots. Thompson recorded 11 points followed by Coston and Bourgault who both had nine points and shared a team high seven rebounds. 
 
Classic History: The Utica University Classic bagan in the 2017-2018 season and has been played each year since except for the shortened 2020 season. The first year of the tournament saw Utica take the championship with wins over Anna Maria College and Oswego State. The Pioneers finished as runners-up in the 2018-19 tournament as the team defeated Fredonia in the semifinals before falling to Vassar College in the finals. Utica reclaimed the classic championship in the 2019-20 season with wins over Anna Maria and SUNY Delhi while the 2021-22 classic was cut short after just one game. The Pioneers are 6-1 all-time in their annual winter tournament.  
 
Coaches vs. Cancer Week: While Coaches vs. Cancer week around collegiate basketball is just over a month away, the Utica University men's basketball program has jump started its fundraising page in conjunction with Coaches vs. Cancer and the American Cancer Society. Donations can be made through https://bit.ly/3YBEe8a while the link can also be found at the top of any page at uticapioneers.com. All funds raised support cancer patient programs and groundbreaking research that can help save lives. This event also celebrates over 15.5 million cancer survivors nationwide. Utica will take part in Coaches vs. Cancer week with its Suits and Sneakers Game on January 27 against Hartwick and with its Real Men Wear Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Game on January 28 against Russell Sage College. T-shirts are also available for Utica's Real Men Wear Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Game with proceeds also going directly towards cancer patient programs and groundbreaking research. Follow https://www.bonfire.com/uticapinkout/ to go to the online store or use the link at the top of any page on uticapioneers.com. 
 
No Shortage Here: Entering the Utica University Classic, the Pioneers are tied with Nazareth College for first place in the Empire 8 as both teams sit 6-1 overall and 2-0 in league play. Utica's offense has remained a force through its first seven outings as the team's 86.3 points per game leads the E8 and remains a top 20 mark in Division III. The likes of Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) (18.6 PPG), Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) (14.1 PPG), Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (13.9 PPG) and Dayion Thompson (Beacon, NY/Kimball Union Academy) (12.1 PPG) have fueled the scoring attack while other pieces in Avery Coston (Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley), Luke Bourgault (Troy, NY/LaSalle Institute) and Griffin Barasa (Clearwater, FL/Calvary Christian) have added fuel to the fire. The offensive attack paired with the league's second-ranked defense (68.9 opponents PPG) has led the Pioneers to the top of the E8 with a plus-17.4 scoring margin, which is also another top 15 mark nationally. 
 
Ball Security: The Pioneers have been able to limit opponent possessions by controlling what they can control; securing the ball. Utica's 4.71 turnover margin is tied with Nazareth for the Empire 8's best mark while also ranking 31st in the country. In fact, Utica is sixth in DIII committing just 9.6 turnovers per game while forcing 14.3. Thompson, Barasa and Coston are among the Empire 8 leaders in steals per game as each averaged over one per contest while Hopkins, Brantley, Morreale and Bourgault each have five or more to their credit thus far. 
 
White Hot: Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) has only gotten stronger and stronger as the early portions of the season turn into the middle. The senior has recorded double-digit points in each of his seven games while his lowest scoring game came in the team's season opener with a 13 point performance against Morrisville State. Since then, he has gone off for 19, 16, 22, 16, 18 and a career-high 26 on Saturday, respectively. His 18.6 points per game rank fourth in the E8 while his 53.1 field goal percentage is within the league's top 10. Beyond scoring, Brantley has done the dirty work on the boards as he finds himself fifth in the E8 averaging 7.1 rebounds per game. 
 
Scouting Delhi: The Broncos ride into the tournament 7-3 overall and 2-1 in North Atlantic Conference action. Delhi will also be playing its fourth and fifth straight road games by the end of the tournament while the team is currently 2-1 through its first three games of its eight-game road trip. The Broncos have displayed solid offense this season as the team nets 84.4 points per game on 41.9 percent shooting from the floor, all while shooting a modest 30.9 percent from deep. On the other end of the floor, Delhi has allowed 75.5 points per contest while teams have shot 44.3 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from three against them. Lester McCarthy mans the offense averaging 16.5 points per game and has attempted a team high 13.7 field goals per game. Jacob Beach, who leads the team with 7.7 rebounds per game, and Mavenson Therneus both average double-figures in points per game as well while five other players record five or more points per outing. This will be the second all-time meeting between Utica and Delhi as the Pioneers defeated the Broncos in the only other matchup between the teams 92-65 in 2019-20 Utica University Classic Finals. 
 
About Oswego: The Lakers will carry a 7-2 overall record and a 4-1 mark in SUNYAC play into their semifinal contest against Emmanuel. Since opening as the No. 5 team in the country in the D3hoops.com top 25 poll, Oswego has fallen outside of the top 25. The team did, however, receive 56 votes in the latest poll, six votes behind Nazareth College who entered at No. 25 with 62 votes. Through its first nine games, Oswego has outscored teams by 13.9 points (77-63.1) and outrebounded opponents 41.8-35.1. The Lakers offense features scorers at each level but is led by their trio of guards; Devin Green (15.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, .463/.509/.714), Jeremiah Sparks (13 PPG, 7.4 RPG, .374/.324/.758) and Ahkee Anderson (12 PPG, 3.5 APG, 2 SPG, .420/.217/.826). Big men Cartier Bowman and Jamal Achille also have combined for 19.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game as well. The all-time series between Utica and Oswego dates back to 1967 while the last time the teams met came in 2017. The Pioneers hold the advantage in the all-time series between the schools with a 22-15 record while also having won the previous three meetings in the 2008-09 season, 2009-2010 season and the Utica University Classic Final in the 2017-18 season. 
 
A Look at Emmanuel: The Saints will go into its semifinal match against Oswego 6-3 overall this season and 3-0 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference play. The team started its season 1-3 but following a 74-62 loss to then No. 8 Worcester Polytechnic Institute on November 20, Emmanuel has rattled off five straight wins including a 72-68 victory over then No. 22 Wesleyan University on November 22. Through nine games, the Saints have outscored opponents 79.4-72.8 while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three-point. Ball control has been troublesome for the team this season as its 16.7 turnovers per game ranks near the bottom 15 percent of Division III. Donte Pope leads Emmanuel's offense as the junior averaged 17 points per game on 53.3 percent shooting from the field and 47.4 percent from three. He also tops the unit in rebounding as he averages 7.7 per outing. The Saints feature two other double-digit scorers in junior Ryan Grijalva and freshman Zaire Baines. If paired in the finals, it would be the first-ever meeting between Utica and Emmanuel. 

Up Next: The Pioneers will enter their full slate of Empire 8 games starting on January 3 at home against St. John Fisher University. Tip-off from Miga Court is set for 7:30 p.m.