CLINTON, NY - The Pioneers hopped over to nearby Clinton on Wednesday night for a non-conference tilt against the crosstown Continentals. In the matchup, Utica found themselves down early due to a cluster of Continental three pointers but attempted to fight back into the contest at the free throw line, getting 20 points from the charity stripe. The Pioneers shot an outstanding 83% from the line, going 20 for 24 in their attempts. However, their constant stream of shots from the line couldn't make a significant dent in the Continental lead after Hamilton's opening offensive, with the Pioneers falling 87-69 against their crosstown opponent.
 
Hagan Foley finished as the Pioneers leading scorer, getting 12 points in the second half as a major contributor in the visitors' constant comeback attempt. Foley shot well in the contest, going 2-for-3 from deep and a steady 6-for-6 from the free throw line. The Senior also grabbed five rebounds and three steals in the matchup.
 
Daiyon Thompson and Damian Call slotted in as the second and third leading scorers for the Pioneers respectively, with the former scoring 15 points and the latter putting in 12 points. Both players went 3-for-4 from the line, adding to a great team effort in the free throw category. Foley, Thompson, and Call combined to go 12-for-14 from the line in Wednesday's matchup.

The Pioneers fell to 5-2 with the loss but will have a chance to regain momentum before winter break with a home tilt against SUNY Delhi on the docket for Saturday afternoon. Tip off will be at 3:00 PM on Saturday.
 
Game Summary: Hamilton came out extremely hot in the matchup of the two crosstown rivals, with the Continentals speeding out to a 34-11 lead midway through the first half.
 
Hamilton made seven of their first 11 three pointers, shooting 63.7% over the first 13 minutes of the contest.
 
After the initial Hamilton surge, the Pioneers attempted to chip away at the Continental lead but found themselves instead going blow for blow with the NESCAC side.
 
Liam Teague (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland), and Devon Flynn (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) combined for a pair of post scores, and Neruda Perdomo (New York, NY/Kimball Union Academy) hit a three pointer to try and dig into the Hamilton advantage, however the Continentals kept their Empire 8 counterparts at bay with a few scores of their own.
 
A Ryan McCardle (Hurley, NY/Kingston) three pointer coupled with a pair of Thompson free throws saw the Pioneers finish out the half on a mini 5-0 run.
 
The Continentals led 50-30 at halftime due in large part to shooting over 50% from the floor in the first half. Hamilton cooled off towards the end of the half though, missing their last six three-point attempts of the first 20 minutes after their 7-for-11 start.
 
Three-point shooting was something the Pioneers would need to bolster as they searched for a winning game plan in the second half. Utica hit just two of their 12 attempts from deep in the first half, however, they were excellent at the line, drawing 10 first half fouls and going 8-for-10 from the charity stripe. The Pioneers would look to excel on these two fronts while also attempting to slow down Hamilton from the perimeter.
 
As the second half began, the Pioneers continued to gain trips to the line, with Call immediately making two free throws at the restart. A pair of threes saw the Pioneers continue to pick up steam, with Thompson beating the shot clock and Foley knocking in his first three on the next possession. Foley then built upon the Pioneer run with a pair of free throws, bringing the deficit down to 15.
 
Hamilton would hit their first three of the second half on the ensuing possession, continuing to keep Utica out of reach despite the Pioneers' newfound accuracy from deep. With 15 minutes on the clock, the two teams would continue to trade baskets, as the gap stayed between 15 and 20 for the following four minutes of play.
 
Utica kept drawing fouls at a rapid rate, entering the bonus only nine minutes into the second half. They continued to pump in points from the line while also looking for stops on the defensive end in order to cut into the lead as the game entered its final stages.
 
As the clock ticked under five minutes left, Thompson and Call once again tried to get the Pioneers back into the proceedings, hitting two threes to try and provide a late spark.
 
As the matchup drew to a close, the Pioneers amped up the pressure, immediately creating two Continental turnovers which they turned into four quick points. Now gaining some momentum, the Pioneers continued to create chaos by sending traps in every corner. Their aggressiveness nearly paid off, almost causing a third-straight turnover before committing a foul.
 
Foley scored back immediately, dropping the Continental lead to 13 with just under four minutes to play. However, a couple home run passes allowed Hamilton to stretch the lead to an unreachable amount with such little time left, going up 83-67 with exactly three minutes left on the clock.
 
Hamilton held the ball for the majority of their final few possessions, draining the clock away and grabbing an 87-69 victory against the Pioneers.