UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's basketball team is set to host Nazareth University on Tuesday, January 30 at 5:30 p.m. before hitting the road to face Hartwick College on Friday, February 2nd at 5:30 p.m. and Russell Sage College on Saturday, February 3 at 2 p.m.
 
Follow Along: Those unable to attend Tuesday's home game can tune in for live video and/or stats here. Hartwick will provide live video here and/or live stats here. Russell Sage will provide live video here and live stats here.  
 
Last Time Out: The team fell to the Houghton University Highlanders last Saturday afternoon, 51-40. Haley Burchhardt (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) played an exceptional all-around game scoring 14 points on an efficient 5-for-9 shooting along with six rebounds and two assists. McKenzie Simmons (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) and Vanessa Hall (Whitesville, NY/Whitesville Central) both made strong contributions as well. Simmons notched nine points with seven rebounds and Hall added eight points with 10 rebounds. Houghton was contained from the three-point line, shooting just 5-for-29, yet still had enough in them to come through with the victory. Tabitha DeVries led all Houghton scorers with 12 points, all from inside the paint. Marley Drake played a solid game in what was only her second start of the season, scoring 11. Trinity Copeland also had a season high of 10 points. The first quarter was a slow start for both teams with neither team shooting a high percentage in the frame. Utica kept things tight early by coming out with energy and well-rounded defense. With the game even at 2-2 with under three minutes left in the quarter, Houghton would score five points within the final minute of the frame to extend their lead to six. Houghton brought the pressure in the second, coming out in a full court press and causing two turnovers right away. The Highlanders extended their lead to double digits early and continued strong play throughout the rest of the quarter. Utica defended well collectively in the first half, but the difference came in the turnover department as it had 12 to Houghton's four. The Pioneers trailed by 17 going into halftime. Utica showed no quit coming out of the half, outscoring Houghton 17-15 in the third. Simmons and Burchhardt continued to lead the offensive production for the team, adding six apiece in the third. Full court pressure from Utica in the fourth continued to make things difficult for Houghton. Julia Rotando (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) forced several turnovers, giving the team some momentum. As Utica gained some offensive traction, Vanessa Hall (Whitesville, NY/Whitesville Central) found her stride, hitting two threes in the quarter, the second of which brought the team back to within 10. With just over two minutes to play in the game, Hope Halvarson (Cranston, RI/Cranston East) fought through contact on a strong drive to the rack to bring Utica within seven. However, the Highlanders cashed in with a bucket near the rim and a fastbreak score to ultimately pull away with the 11 point win.
 
Where We Stand: The team currently sits in seventh place in the Empire 8 standings and is just one spot away from the final Empire 8 postseason spot. Utica continues to be towards the top of the conference in free throw percentage, defensive rebounds, turnover margin, and steals. 
 
Three Point Barrage: Haley Burchhardt (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) has continued her fantastic recent stretch of play dropping at least 10 points, six rebounds, and two assists in both of the team's games this past week. The sophomore turned in her best performance with 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, and three steals against Hartwick while going 2-for-5 from beyond the arc. The Schenectady, NY native has continued to be unconscious from beyond the arc with at least one three-pointer made in nine straight games including going 7-for-12 this past week for a fantastic 58.3 percent clip.
 
Post Presence: Vanessa Hall (Whitesville, NY/Whitesville Central) continues to excel in the post while being the league's premier scorer averaging 17.1 points per game. The freshman has finished in double figures in 16 of her 17 career appearances and turned in another monster week this past week. She turned in her first career double-double against Hartwick with 25 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal. She followed this up hauling in 10 rebounds against Houghton while going 2-for-4 from beyond the arc and has started to become a strong rebounder for the squad.
 
Turning Up: Krissy Geraci (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia) has started to heat up, recording at least five points in three of her last four games and at least seven rebounds in three of her last four appearances. The senior has continued to be efficient in her shooting and has played lockdown defense highlighted by two blocks against Hartwick on January 23.
 
Looking at Naz: The Golden Flyers have been terrific this season with a 17-2 overall record and are 9-1 in Empire 8 play which has them second in the conference standings. The team topped Russell Sage 83-54 in its last outing on Saturday, January 27. The team is headlined by Molly Benetti whose 14.2 points per game is fifth in the conference. Olivia Dobrovsky, Katie MacLachlan, Kiara Anglin are a trio of fine scorers with each averaging at least 10.3 points per game and at least five rebounds per game. Benetti is the conference's top shot blocker with 50 rejections this season which is an incredible 20 more than anyone else in the Empire 8. Dobrovsky, MacLachlan, and Anglin each amassing more than 30 steals this season.
 
Scouting the Hawks: Hartwick is currently 6-12 with a 4-6 Empire 8 record which has them fifth in the conference standings. The team fell to St. John Fisher University 87-39 in its last outing and also fell to the Pioneers 68-62 in overtime on January 23. Hartwick will clash with SUNY Morrisville before matching up with Utica on Friday, February 2. The trio of Bree Fargnoli, Isabella Astorino, and Sareena DiCerbo lead the Hawks with each averaging at least 9.4 points per game and at least 4.9 rebounds per game. The trio are also very effective defensively, each swiping at least 21 steals with Astorino's 28 blocks ranking fourth in the Empire 8.
 
Sage Outlook: The Gators are 4-15 this season and 2-8 in Empire 8 play which has them eighth in the conference. The team fell to Nazareth University 83-54 in its last outing on Saturday, January 27 and also fell to Utica 55-39 on January 5. Sage will host Keuka College on Friday, February 2 before hosting Utica on Saturday, February 3. Layla Acosta is the team's top scorer averaging 13.6 points per game including shooting 31.1 percent from deep while also leading the team averaging six boards per game. Malena Gereau and Olivia Huneau are each averaging at least 7.4 points per game and are averaging over 1.1 steals per game and are two more players to look out for.

Up Next: The team will remain on the road and clash with (RV) St. John Fisher University on Tuesday, February 6 at 5:30 p.m.