UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's basketball team begins its journey towards back-to-back Empire 8 championships in the conference semifinals on Friday against Alfred University at 5:30 p.m. The top-seeded Pioneers will also host the second-seeded Nazareth Golden Flyers and the third-seeded St. John Fisher Cardinals in the other semifinal as well on Friday at 7:30 p.m. 
 
Hope to See You There: Admission for both semifinals and the championship games will be $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and students with a valid college identification and free for children 12 and under. 
 
Follow Along: Those unable to attend can watch via live video or keep up with live stats through https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/ for each of the three tournament games. 
 
Last Time Out: Utica secured its 13th straight win in the regular season finale on Feb. 19 with a 55-42 win at now postseason opponent, Alfred. An explosive first half helped the Pioneers take a 32-17 lead into the locker room. The team shot 48 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes while holding the Alfred Saxons to 20.8 percent shooting including 2-of-12 shooting from deep. A balanced second half led to the Pioneers keeping its halftime lead in check. Utica netted 23 points in the final frame off of 40 percent shooting while Alfred outscored Utica with 25 points however, the Saxons were not as efficient on just 31.4 percent shooting and 1-for-10 three-point shooting in the half. Utica handled Alfred's starting five as a total of 22 of 42 Saxon points came from reserves off the bench. The Saxons did manage to out-rebound the Pioneers 45-31 resulting in 12 second chance points. Chris Green (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) led Utica with 16 points while also totaling five boards, two assists and one block and steal. Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) ended with 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 from deep, as well as three rebounds, two assists and one block and steal each. Kimedrick Murphy (Hudson, NY/Hudson) pounded the boards all evening, recording 13 rebounds in 31 minutes of play to go along with six points and three blocks. 
 
History at Hand: The Pioneers enter the Empire 8 tournament in the midst of a program-best 13-game winning streak. Over the span, Utica has out-scored opponents by an average of 13.7 points per game while having won 10 games by 10-plus points including the last six. The team is also one win away from tying the program record for wins in a season with the 2005-06 Pioneers finishing the season with 23 wins as well as an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance, the farthest Utica has gone in the Division III tournament. Utica will also look to become the Empire 8's first back-to-back champion since Ithaca College in 2011-12 and 2012-13. 
 
Conference's Finest: The Pioneers saw six members of the team named to Empire 8 All-Conference teams. Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) earned the E8 Defensive Player of the Year Award as well as receiving a second team nod. Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) was named to the first team for a second straight season while Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) joined Hopkins on the second team. Chris Green (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) was awarded third team honors for his second career all-conference selection and Matt Champlin (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) was Utica's recipient of the Sportsman of the Year Award. Head Coach Sean Coffey, along with assistant's Tim Borza and Richard Coffey, were named Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. 
 
From the Top on Down: While the Pioneers boast numerous all-conference honorees, the team has displayed its depth throughout the season with crucial pieces beyond the award winners. Kimedrick Murphy (Hudson, NY/Hudson) and Avery Coston (Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley) have played vital roles protecting the paint. Murphy ranks within the top-15 in the E8 averaging 5.8 rebounds per game and is seventh in the conference with 1.2 blocks per contest. Coston, who has played all five positions this season, is third on the Pioneers grabbing 4.1 boards per game while also averaging 6.4 points and nearly three assists per game. Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy), the 2021 Empire 8 Rookie of the year, and Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) play as offensive reinforcements off the bench, both of whom average over five points per game with Brantley doing so on .437/.342/.609 shooting splits and Call on 64.1 percent from the floor. Griffin Barasa (Clearwater, FL/Calvary Christian) has also stepped up as a freshman, averaging 2.5 points (42.5 FG%) and nearly an assist and steal in about 11 minutes per game. 
 
The Field: The Nazareth Golden Flyers (21-4, 13-3 Empire 8), currently the fourth-ranked team in Region III, will serve as the home team in the second semifinal game as the two seed. Nazareth has played a balanced brand of basketball this year, ranking third in the E8 in both points per game (78.2) and points allowed per game (66.2). All-Empire First Team selection, Stephen Gabel, leads the team and is second in the league netting 17.5 points per game. The Pioneers and Golden Flyers split the season series with both teams winning at home. Fisher (19-6, 13-3 Empire 8) enters the tournament as the third-seed. Led by Empire 8 Player of the Year Daniel Cook (19.5 PPG, .513/.111/.724) and All-Empire 8 First Team selection Brendan Trapper (17.1 PPG, .467/.348/.802), the Cardinals own the top scoring offense in the conference at 83.7 points per game. The team ranks second behind Utica in team field goal percentage (46%) and opponent field goal percentage (39.5%). The Pioneers swept the Cardinals this season with a 63-56 win at Fisher on Jan. 14 and a 72-46 win at home on Feb. 12. The Alfred Saxons (17-9, 9-7 Empire 8) enter the semifinals coming off of a 75-61 win over Russell Sage in the opening round. Brewster Marshall, an All-Empire 8 Second team selection, ranks top-10 in the conference netting 15.8 points per game as well as with 9.3 rebounds per outing. The Saxons are the second ranked defensive team in the E8, trailing only Utica, allowing 63.7 points per game while holding opposition to 40 percent shooting. The Pioneers took both games from Alfred this season with 64-51 and 55-42 wins. 
 
Up Next: The winners of Friday's semifinal contests will meet in the championship game at 3 p.m. on Saturday on Miga Court. The winner of the Empire 8 Conference Tournament will receive an automatic bid in the 2022 NCAA Division III Tournament. The rest of the field will look to be one of 20 teams to receive an at-large bid with the men's basketball selection show set to take place on Monday, Feb. 28. NCAA First and Second Round action will take place March 4-5.