UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's basketball team topped the Connecticut College Camels 66-56 on Saturday to win the Utica University Classic.

Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) was named Tournament MVP after averaging 15 points and nearly seven rebounds over the two games. 
 
The championship game served as the final non-conference contest of the season for the Pioneers as the team now enters its full slate of Empire 8 bouts. 
 
Utica was efficient from the field shooting 22-for-48 and 7-for-16 from beyond the arc. The team poured in 22 points in the paint while adding 13 second chance points.
 
The Camels capitalized on the Pioneers' 13 turnovers with 21 points, accounting for 37.5 percent of their points. David Murray led the visitors with 18 points (8-11 FG) as well as with seven rebounds and a game high five blocks. Elias Espinosa contributed 10 points for Conn. College followed by nine from Billy Whelan. 
 
Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) fueled the win posting a double-double with 21 points (7-10 FG) and 11 rebounds while also adding two assists and two blocks to his line. Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) poured in a season-high 14 points with five rebounds, three assists, and one block.
 
Dayion Thompson (Beacon, NY/Kimball Union Academy) added 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals in the contest. Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) did it all scoring eight points while corralling five rebounds and dishing out four dimes.
 
It was a back-and-forth start to the contest with the game being tied 7-7 at the 16:39 mark. A Morreale and-one gave Utica a 10-7 edge, yet Connecticut would use a seven-point run to claim a 26-18 lead as the team was able to work the ball into the paint effectively.
 
Utica responded with an incredible 15-0 run which was fueled by strong defense leading to transition buckets. Brantley was the catalyst with eight points during the stretch including two-straight triples to give Utica a 35-29 edge with just over 2 minutes remaining in the first half. Another Brantley three-pointer aided the team in taking a 38-31 advantage into the half.
 
The Pioneers came out firing in the second half hitting three of their first four attempts as Thompson, Morreale, and Brantley each nailed jumpers to extend Utica's lead to 45-35 at the 16:23 mark.
 
The Camels cut the lead to five trailing just 49-44 and then hit a triple to trail just 50-47 at the 9:04 mark. Yet, Utica used a four-point run to claim a 55-47 advantage and played phenomenal defense down the stretch to secure a 66-56 victory in the Utica University Classic Championship Game.
 
Utica (8-2, 1-0) will host Russell Sage College on Friday, January 5 at 7:30 p.m. in an Empire 8 dual.