UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's basketball team is set to complete its first half of Empire 8 play this week with games on Friday and Saturday. The team will travel to Houghton University on Friday to take on the Highlanders at 7:30 p.m. before heading to Buffalo, NY on Saturday for a 4 p.m. contest against the Medaille University Mavericks. 
 
Follow Along: On Friday, Houghton will provide live video and stats through https://portal.stretchinternet.com/houghton/ while on Saturday, Medaille will have live video through https://portal.stretchinternet.com/medaille/ and live stats at https://medaillesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary. 
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers defeated the Alfred University Saxons 73-59 on Saturday afternoon for the team's fifth straight win, also moving the team to a perfect 7-0 mark to begin Empire 8 play. Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) led all scorers with 23 points coming from 7-of-16 shooting from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Luke Bourgault (Troy, NY/LaSalle Institute) (14), Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (13) and Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) all finished in double figures as well while Brantley also finished one rebound shy of a double-double with a team-high nine. Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) and Griffin Barasa (Clearwater, FL/Calvary Christian) also had over five rebounds for Utica, each totaling six. Barasa put together a solid defensive performance all together as the sophomore recorded four steals to go with a block. Morreale also added a pair of steals and blocks each to his stat line. The Pioneers jumped out to an early 10-6 lead thanks to six quick points by Avery Coston (Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley). Alfred would eventually poke away and even the score at 12-12 as well as 16-16 as the teams remained neck-and-neck over the first 12 minutes of play. Morreale gave the team a spark following the Saxons tying the score at 16. The senior put in a layup, drove the lane for a dunk and knocked down a quick jumper over three straight possessions to put the Pioneers back up by six. Utica went on to eventually carry a 30-21 lead into the break. Throughout the early goings of the second half, the Saxons did anything but shy away. Utica's nine point advantage ultimately became one with a 42-41 score with 11:12 to go. That's where Bourgault made his presence felt. Over a two minute span, the junior recorded the Pioneers' next nine points on back-to-back-to-back made three's, giving the team a 10 point cushion and forcing Alfred into a timeout. From that point, the Saxons could not recover. Over the final 7:30 of play, the Pioneers kept at least an eight point lead before eventually coming out on top by 14. Utica only trailed for 42 seconds throughout the entire game in large part due to holding Alfred to 14.3 percent (3-21) from beyond the arc. As a team, the Pioneers shot 47.4 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three. The team also forced 14 Saxon turnovers which led to 14 points. 
 
Where we Stand: The Pioneers head into the weekend 12-2 overall while sitting in first place in the Empire 8 with a perfect 7-0 mark. The team remains the top-scoring offense in the league averaging 81.7 points per game as well as a top-three defense allowing 70.2 points per game. A critical, yet under the radar, part of Utica's success has been ball control as the team commits just 9.9 turnovers per game, a mark that ranks sixth in the nation. With that, the Pioneers force 13.7 turnovers per outing for a 3.79 turnover margin which is the 41st best in Division III. 
 
Milestone Approaching: Not only do the Pioneers have control of the Empire 8 standings with a 7-0 mark, but their perfect record has them in position to break a 16 year old program record. With wins at Houghton and Medaille, Utica would set the program record for best start in Empire 8 play at 9-0 and top the 2006-07 team that began E8 play with an 8-0 mark. 
 
Here Comes Tommy: Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) is also approaching a milestone of his own as he nears the 1,000 point club. Morreale enters the weekend with 980 career points spanning 74 career games and would become the 17th. Morreale has been showing out as of late as well, including this past week which earned him Empire 8 Player of the Week. Last week he averaged 17.3 points per game on 56.25 percent shooting from the field (18-32) and 11-14 shooting from the free throw line. He also registered 4.6 rebounds per contest and totaled four assists and blocks, as well as three steals on the week. Morreale scored a team-high 18 points in Utica's comeback win at No. 19 Nazareth on Tuesday, five of which came in overtime. He also came away with eight rebounds in that game. He also scored 21 points against Elmira on Friday to pair with five rebounds, two blocks, two assists and a steal before scoring 13 against Alfred on Saturday. His defense showed in that game as well, blocking a pair of shots and recording two steals. 
 
Seasoned Vet: Be advised, don't look past what Avery Coston (Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley) has brought to the table this season and, for that matter, his time with the Pioneers. Coston is top-five on the team in scoring and rebounding this season and his elite playmaking has him first on Utica with 33 assists. The Kerhonkson, NY native has heated up from beyond the arc and is shooting 11-for-23 over his last five games from deep. Coston's ability to give the team a physical playmaker with a nice touch from beyond the arc has helped the team to its hot start to the season.
 
About Houghton: The Highlanders are 4-11 this season with a 3-5 conference record which has them seventh in the Empire 8. Houghton topped Elmira 86-82 in overtime on January 18 to collect its third conference victory of the season. The team is led by Jajuan Preaster and Esafe Taufahema who both average 14.7 or more points per game and more than 6.1 rebounds per game. Taufahema has been terrific this season and is eighth in the Empire 8 in scoring and fifth in field goal percentage and just won his third Empire 8 award this season. The Highlanders have plenty of perimeter shooters as David Rosa, Luke Cole, Daniel Rosario, and Reece Gustafon all have hit at least 16 three pointers this season.
 
Scouting Medaille: The Mavericks are 5-9 this season and sport a 3-4 record in conference play which has them fifth in the conference. The team fell to Alfred 77-50 on January 17 in its last outing. Medaille has very balanced scoring as eight players average more than five points per game. Daunte Wilcott leads the team averaging 13.6 points per game while Jorarei Bile is second with 10.1. Bile is also the team's top rebounder bringing in 5.1 rebounds per game. Mac Creek and Bryce Smith are the team's top perimeter threats as both have hit at least 18 three pointers this season and shoot .289 percent or higher. 
 
Up Next: Utica will return home on January 27 for its first of four straight home games. That night, the team will host Hartwick College for its Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Game. Tip-off from Miga Court is set for 7:30 p.m.