UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's basketball team is set to wrap up its homestand this week with two Empire 8 matchups. The team will face Nazareth College on Tuesday, January 31 at 5:30 p.m. and then square off with Keuka College on Saturday, February 4 at 2 p.m. for the team's Alumnae Game. 
 
Follow Along: Those unable to attend either game can tune in for live video and/or stats via https://bit.ly/2wtxUV5.
 
Last Time Out: The team fell to the Russell Sage Gators by a score of 90-69 on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers were led by senior guard Petrina DeMarco (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) who scored 17 points in the contest. Utica also had three more players in double figures, as McKenzie Simmons (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) had 12 points followed by Haley Burchhardt (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) and Hannah Stack (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville) who had 11 points each. Sage was led by a two-headed attack as Syrita Faraj led the way with 32 points to go along with 23 points on seven made threes from Sammy Pasinella. It was an ideal start for the Pioneers as they came out the gate ready to play with an early 18-14 first quarter lead. The team was able to generate good looks against the Sage zone as the Pioneers connected on three first quarter threes. The Gators were able to close the gap, eventually leading to a 24-24 score after the first quarter. DeMarco was able to connect on a triple to give her team the lead at 27-24 to start the second quarter. After that, Sage went on an 18-5 run to give themselves a 44-32 lead. Despite hot shooting from Sage, Utica maintained within striking distance as they went into the locker room down 55-42 after shooting 50 percent from the field and 6-for-13 from behind the arc. The third quarter was a little bit different of a feel as offense did not come by as easily. It took nearly three minutes for Haley Burchhardt (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) to make the first field goal of the quarter for Utica which cut the deficit to 10 points. That was as close as the team would get in the third with Sage maintaining a 73-55 lead heading into the fourth. Despite good effort from the Pioneers with high intensity, the fourth quarter was more of the same. The Gators eventually were able to pull away leading to a 90-69 victory.
 
Where We Stand: The Pioneers are ninth in the conference with a record of 8-10 and 3-8 in Empire 8 play. Utica remains efficient in shooting as the team ranks fourth in field goal percentage and three point percentage. The team's ability to stretch the floor has been a key part of its offense as well as the team's ability to find open teammates inside the paint. The Pioneers rebounding continues to be a strong part of the team's identity as the team is able to box out and give the team second chance opportunities. Utica ranks second in the Empire 8 averaging 44.3 rebounds per game which is just .4 behind first place.
 
Beana Buckets: Petrina DeMarco (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) is in the midst of her best scoring stretch of the season having dropped 13 or more points in three of her last four games. The senior poured in 30 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and four steals over the team's two games this week. Her ability to get to the basket and shoot from beyond the arc helped the team immensely. 
 
Stealing the Show: The Pioneers defense has tightened up and clogged passing lanes which has led to an abundance of steals. Utica turned in one of its best defensive outings against Hartwick forcing an incredible 16 steals. The team then recorded six steals against Sage and its defensive pressure has been wreaking havoc for opponents. 
 
Showing off the Range: A key facet of Utica's offense has been the team's ability to shoot from deep. The team features plenty of shooters yet Petrina DeMarco (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), Kimberly Soriano (Queens, NY/Monsignor McClancy Memorial), and Julia Rotando (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) had very strong weekends from deep. DeMarco went 7-for-21 from deep including an incredible 5-for-10 against Sage. Soriano went 2-6 against Hartwick and leads the team in three point percentage for players with more than 40 attempts with a .315 percentage. Rotando had her best performance of the season from beyond the arc going 3-for-3 against Sage. Rotando has now raised her three point percentage to .296 this season and has emerged as another perimeter threat for the team.
 
Scouting Nazareth: The Golden Flyers are 13-5 and 9-2 in conference play this season which has them second in the Empire 8 standings. The team beat Elmira College 77-69 in its last outing on Saturday, January 28. Jadyn Abrams leads the way for Nazareth and is a fantastic scorer, averaging 15.3 points per game which is third in the Empire 8. Brielle Reidinger and Kim Davis are two more viable scoring options who each average more than 10 points per game. The duo is also the team's top two rebounding options with Davis averaging 7.7 rebounds per game and Reidinger's 9.6 rebounds per game has her ranked third in the conference. The team's top perimeter threats are Abrams, Katie MacLachlan, and Chelsea Woodsum who each shoot .279 percent or better from beyond the arc.
 
Looking at Keuka: The Wolves are 3-15 this season and sport an 0-11 conference record ranking them last in the Empire 8. The team fell to Hartwick College 52-37 in its last outing on Saturday, January 28. Keuka will face St. John Fisher on Tuesday, January 31 before clashing with Utica. The team has balanced scoring as all of its starters average more than 6.6 points per game. Killian Mahoney leads the team in scoring averaging 9.4 points per game and is the team's top three point shooter shooting .294 from beyond the arc with 30 made three pointers this season. Sydney Brown and Mary Cotter are two more viable shooters from beyond the arc each shooting .226 percent or higher with more than 84 attempts this season. Lauren Hill and Meg McGwin lead the team in rebounding each averaging 5.3 rebounds per game.
 
Up Next: After this week, Utica will hit the road to face St. John Fisher on Tuesday, February 7 at 5:30 p.m. to open a three-game road trip.