ONEONTA, NY - Thanks to another stellar outing by Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) and a career day by Griffin Barasa (Clearwater, FL/Calvary Christian), the Utica College men's basketball team secured its eighth consecutive win on Tuesday night after taking down the Hartwick College Hawks 70-59. 
 
After 10 minutes of play the teams were even at 10 points each until the Pioneers began to find an offensive rhythm. From 11:27 left in the first half to just over two minutes left, UC out-scored the Hawks 26-9 with all but six points coming from inside the paint or the free throw line. The only buckets in the run to not come from inside the arc was two back-to-back three's out of Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro). However, Hartwick would not shy away as the home team came back to make it a 36-25 game entering the half. 
 
While UC never let the Hawks back in the game, Hartwick still stuck around to keep the game interesting. What was once a 19-point Hawks deficit with 15:05 left in the game eventually turned into a 10-point game 10 minutes later with Utica up 59-49. 
 
Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) went on to score the next 11 Utica points, which would also mark the final 11 the team scored as well as all of his points on the night, to help fend off Hartwick and secure the win. 
 
Call led the team with 17 points on a scorching 8-for-9 shooting night that included a plethora of strong takes to the hoop. Barasa netted eight points, the second most in a single game in his young career, while also coming away with a career high five rebounds. Lufkin and Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) totaled 11 points each while Morreale also reached double figures in points  for a fifth straight game with 10. 
 
Kimedrick Murphy (Hudson, NY/Hudson) came away with seven of the Pioneers' 41 rebounds, Avery Coston (Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley) with five while Lufkin and Morreale totaled four a piece. 
 
UC (17-3, 10-1 Empire 8) returns home for its next three games starting with a crucial meeting with the 23rd ranked team in the country and first place in the E8, Nazareth College. Tip-off from Miga Court is set for 7:30 p.m.