UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's basketball team is set to hit the road to battle SUNY Cortland on Saturday, December 16 at 2 p.m.
 
Follow Along: Cortland will provide live video here and live stats here. 
 
Last Time Out: In a matchup between two teams who advanced to the round of 32 last season's NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament, the Hamilton Continentals emerged victorious, snapping their three-game losing streak to Utica on December 7. The Pioneers got down early and clawed their way back into the game all night but ultimately came up short, falling 60-54. Three-point shooting was the difference maker in this matchup as Hamilton netted nine from deep opposed to Utica's three on 20 percent shooting. For Utica, offense was provided through a balanced scoring attack. Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) notched 13 points, while Dayion Thompson (Beacon, NY/Kimball Union Academy) and Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) dropped 12 apiece. Thompson created chances for himself and others all night by beating his man to the rim. Morreale was strong on the interior, grabbing a team high nine boards and scoring frequently from close range. Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) brought the energy as he typically does with two huge dunks and hustle plays all game. He posted eight points, four rebounds, and two assists. As a team, the Continentals shot 43 percent from the floor to the Pioneers' 31.3 percent. Hamilton was led by Hank Morgan who dropped 15 on 6-for-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from deep. The visitors also recorded 11 blocks on the night. After winning the jump ball, Hamilton scored from the interior just seconds in. From there, it continued to dominate the first five minutes of play, capitalizing early off Utica turnovers, and missed shots to open an 11-2 lead. Hamilton continued to beat Utica from beyond the arc as the half progressed. A Luke Bourgault (Troy, NY/LaSalle Institute) acrobatic layup briefly stopped the bleeding, along with two strong drives to the rim by Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro). Utica found itself trailing by nine with six minutes remaining in the half. In the closing minutes of the half, the Pioneers found their stride. Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) nailed a contested three and Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) ignited the crowd with an and-one layup to bring them to within two points. The first half ultimately ended with Hamilton leading 29-28 in what was a strong display of defense for both teams. Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) paced the Utica offense through the first half, scoring eight points apiece. Utica began the second determined to get to the rim, scoring its first four field goals of the half from inside the paint. Three minutes into the second, Utica obtained its first lead of the contest after Dayion Thompson (Beacon, NY/Kimball Union Academy) drove to the dish, drawing a foul and making both free throws from the charity stripe. Both teams traded buckets in the early part of the second until Hamilton's Teja Singh poured in seven straight to re-establish a five point lead. Hamilton's lead would grow to double digits with six minutes to play. A Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) poster dunk through three defenders gave the Pioneers some life as they would shortly cut the lead to three. Despite the shift in momentum, the Continentals remained unfazed as Owen Kane would stick a three-pointer off a second chance opportunity to give them a comfortable six point lead with just over a minute remaining. He would later convert an and-one layup to put the game out of reach. 
 
Where We Stand: The Pioneers defense has been terrific allowing just 67.6 points per game which ranks second in the conference. The team's offense ranks third in the Empire 8 averaging 77.3 points per game while holding the largest point differential of 9.7 per game which leads the E8. All of Utica's five wins have been by double digits as the team has used strong defense paired with consistent scoring. Utica also is third in field goal percentage at 45.9 while leading the conference with a 76.4 free throw percentage as a unit. Another key part of the team's success has been its ability to force turnovers and take care of the ball on offense, leading to the top turnover margin in the E8. 
 
Turning Up: Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) turned in his best performance of the season against Hamilton, dropping 12 points with nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals on 5-for-14 from the field. The graduate student was able to consistently get to the basket while also hauling in rebounds and help jumpstart the Utica offense. 
 
Serving Justice: Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) has been a stud this season averaging 15 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game which both rank top-11 in the Empire 8. The graduate student's ability to get to the rack and the free throw line has been tremendous. His ability to crash the boards has provided the team with a consistent rebounder while being a large part of the team's success at setting up fast break scoring opportunities.
 
Looking at the Red Dragons: Cortland is 4-2 this season and 2-0 in SUNYAC play and is currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak. The team topped SUNY Potsdam 81-63 in its last match on Saturday, December 2. The team is led by the strong scoring duo of Kareem Lubin and Aaron Coston who are averaging more than 14 points per game with at least 5.7 rebounds per game. Jaylen Warmack and Kendall Arcuri are two more scoring threats each averaging more than 9.4 points per game with Danny Linehan leading the team with 13 three pointers this season on a sharp 44.8 percent from beyond the arc. Arcuri and Linehan are the top defenders each swiping at least seven steals thus far.

Up Next: The team will host Colby-Sawyer College in the first round of the Utica University Classic on Friday, December 29 at 4 p.m.