UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's basketball team is set to begin their Empire 8 Conference Tournament hosting fifth-seeded Alfred University on Thursday, February 22 at 7 p.m. in the Semifinals.
 
Follow Along: Those unable to attend can tune in for live video and stats here. 
 
Last Time Out: The team defeated the Elmira College Soaring Eagles in its final regular season game of the year, 92-66, last Saturday. With the victory and Nazareth's loss to St. John Fisher, Utica clinched the top-seed in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament, capturing its third straight regular season championship. The team has earned the right for home court advantage throughout the Empire 8 Tournament. The Pioneers shot the lights out, going 54 percent from the field, 50 percent from deep (12-24) and 83 percent from the free-throw line. The team also dominated on the glass, collecting 48 rebounds to Elmira's 24. On the team's senior day, Utica's veterans led the way. Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) paced the offense, notching a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds on an efficient 9-12 shooting night. Luke Bourgault (Troy, NY/LaSalle Institute) poured in 17 along with five rebounds on a 5-7 night from the field. Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) and Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) were both solid, scoring 11 apiece while Call collected seven boards and Morreale had 8. Hagen Foley (Albany, NY/Christian Brothers Academy) did it all tonight, scoring nine points, dishing out seven assists and grabbing five rebounds. Devon Flynn (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) added eight points as well. Elmira's offense was led by Riley Spencer who dropped 21 while Carter Seeberger was the only other double-digit scorer with 10. Utica got off to an early 12-3 lead, scoring in transition often with Brantley and Bourgault throwing down fast break dunks. Elmira showed resilience throughout much of the first half keeping things within 10 until the closing minutes of the frame. The Soaring Eagles got to within three halfway through the first, but their run was stifled by back-to-back scores from the interior by Morreale. Brantley would help open the Utica lead to 17 after draining a pair of three pointers in the first minute of the second half. Utica would continue to wreak havoc from deep scoring their next three baskets from behind the arc as well. Five straight points from Bourgault would extend the Utica lead to over 20 where the team would never look back. Foley would later throw an alley-oop to Call that ignited the crowd before Flynn would bury two shots from three point range to put Utica up by 29 with two and a half minutes remaining.
 
Tournament Info: The 2023-24 Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship begins on Tuesday, Feb. 20 with first round action before semifinal action takes place at top-seed Utica University and No. 2 seed Nazareth University on Thursday, Feb. 22 and championship action takes place on Saturday, Feb. 24 at the site of the highest remaining seed. No. 3 seed St. John Fisher University defeated No. 6 Houghton University, 79-65, on Tuesday in the first round while No. 4 seed Keuka College fell to visiting No. 5 Alfred University, 80-60. Fisher will now travel to second-seeded Nazareth at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday while the top-seeded Pioneers welcome Alfred at 7 p.m. on Thursday. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2024 Empire 8 Championship on Saturday at the highest remaining seed. The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship, which begins March 1-2.
 
Admission Info: Admission for the semifinal contest will be $6 for adults, students and seniors with ID are $4, and children under 12 are free. Utica University students with a Utica University ID will be granted free admission. 
 
Playoff History: Utica has made 13 Empire 8 Conference Tournament appearances including three-straight as the one seed. The Pioneers last won the E8 Championship in Spring 2021 as the team topped St. John Fisher, 89-65. Utica is 1-0 all-time in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament against Alfred when the team defeated the Saxons 75-70 in the semifinals in the 2021-2022 Tournament.
 
Streaking: Utica has been on a tear as of late, winning seven-straight games and 17 of its last 18. The team has been outscoring its opponents by an average of 10.8 points per game which is tied for the league lead. The Pioneers' last three wins have all been by more than 17 points and the team is in top-shape playing elite defense paired with great shooting at the perfect time.
 
Consistency is Key: Luke Bourgault (Troy, NY/LaSalle Institute) had a great week helping guide the team to the one seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Conference Tournament. The senior was consistent, dropping at least 12 points in all three games while recording at least five boards in his last two outings. Over the course of the week he amassed 44 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and three steals while shooting a deadly 8-for-13 from deep throughout the week.
 
Balanced Attack: The team has a very even offense with five players averaging at least 8.6 points per game. Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) leads the way averaging 16.9 points per game which is sixth in the conference with Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) averaging 14.3 points per game which ranks 12th. The trio of Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), Hagen Foley (Albany, NY/Christian Brothers Academy), and Luke Bourgault (Troy, NY/LaSalle Institute) are three consistent scorers each averaging at least 8.6 points per game while all shooting at least 32 percent from beyond the arc helping stretch the floor.
 
Need a Hand?: Griffin Barasa (Clearwater, FL/Calvary Christian) has been fantastic at setting up the offense as of late and shined against Alfred University on Friday, February 16 tying his career-high with six assists. The junior has also turned it up defensively with six steals in his last two outings and is putting the clamps on opposing guards.
 
Scouting the Saxons: Alfred is a fantastic defensive team and has a balanced offensive attack with five players averaging more than 9.9 points per game. Tyler Hind leads the squad averaging 13.6 points per game over his eight appearances this season. Adam Enders is a sharpshooter averaging 12.5 points per game and is one of the conference's best three-point shooters with 62 made three-pointers this season. Franlys Valenzuela is a menace averaging 10.1 points per game and a conference leading 11.2 rebounds per game. Casey Curran and Oscar Wolter are two more reliable scorers each averaging at least 9.9 points per game with Enders being the team's top defender with 24 steals thus far.
 
Series Outlook: The Pioneers swept both games against Alfred, defeating them 70-67 on January 20 and again at home on February 16, 83-66. 

Up Next: With a win the Pioneers will host the Empire 8 Championship on Saturday, February 24 against the winner of the other semifinals game with the time to be announced.