UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's basketball team is set for a three game homestand this week. The team will take on cross town rival and Empire 8 Conference newcomer SUNY Poly on Tuesday, January 28 at 7:30pm on Miga Court inside the Clark Athletic Center. The team will then take on St. John Fisher on Friday, January 31 at 7:30pm before taking on Nazareth on Saturday, February 1 at 4pm. 
 
Follow Along: For those unable to attend, live video for all three games can be found here, and live stats can be found here. 
 
Last Time Out: The team defeated the Russell Sage College Gators on the road by a score of 81-71 on Saturday afternoon. Leading the way for the Pioneers was Dayion Thompson (Beacon, NY/Kimball Union Academy) with 25 points and was perfect in his attempts from the free throw line. Two other Pioneers finished with double figures in scoring, Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) with 18 and Liam Teague (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) with 10. Call added eight boards and four assists to his stat line, while Teague added five rebounds and two blocks to his. Ben Whitman was a stout defender for the Pioneers, hauling in 10 rebounds with two blocks and a steal, while Hagen Foley (Albany, NY/Christian Brothers Academy) added six rebounds, four assists, and two steals in the contest. 
 
Where We Stand: With three weeks of conference play remaining before the beginning of the conference playoff, the Pioneers find themselves in the middle of the pack in a race for the conference crown, that is anyone's game. Utica currently occupies the fifth spot in the conference standings with a 5-3 record and are currently on a four-game win streak. The Pioneers have one of the top defenses in the league, only allowing 70 points to opponents per game this season. Utica also has the second-best scoring margin in the conference, outscoring opponents by almost 5.5 points per game. From outside, the Pioneers are only topped by SUNY Poly, shooting 37.2 percent from outside the arc. Utica has the best turnover margin in the conference, with 191 team turnovers to 249 turnovers by opponents for a 3.41 margin. 
 
Day Time: Dayion Thompson (Beacon, NY/Kimball Union Academy) has been named Empire 8 Men's Basketball Player of the Week, as announced by the league on Monday. Thompson put together a pair of fantastic outings for the Pioneers across the team's two games last week. Thompson was good for 59 total points, averaging just shy of 30 points per game. As a shooter, Thompson was good for 53 percent from the floor, and 64 percent from three-point range. Thompson was also perfect in his attempts from the free throw line, going 14-14. Against Hartwick. Thompson put up a career high 34 points on 61 percent shooting from the floor. From three-point range, Thompson could not be stopped, nailing 67 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, including the overtime game winning buzzer beater against Hartwick. Thompson continued his dominance against Sage, putting up 25 points. From the floor, Thompson was good for 44 percent of his attempts. From three-point range, Thompson was good for 60 percent of his attempts in the contest. 
 
Scouting Poly: The Empire 8 Conference newcomer and cross town rival SUNY Poly are 11-6 on the season and are 6-2 in conference play. LaMarqus Merchant is the team's leading scorer, averaging 16.1 points per game. From outside, Daimarr Miller has been the team's leading three-point shooter, shooting 36.6 percent from outside. Kamryn Comstock is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 6.8 rebounds per game. Merchant has been able to get the offense going, dishing out 77 total assists this season. Merchant also holds the team lead in steals with 30 total this season. Anthony Rose has been a stout defender, blocking a team high 17 shots. 
 
A Look at Fisher: The St. John Fisher University Cardinals hold a 6-11 record on the season, with a 2-6 record in Empire 8 Conference play. Connor Williams leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.9 points per game, and is also the top rebounder with 6.8 rebounds per game. From beyond the arc, Cole Thompson has been the most efficient shooter, hitting 39 percent of his three-point attempts. Eric Kegler is the team's primary playmaker, dishing out 62 assists this season. Defensively, Kegler has been a force, leading the team with 19 blocks, while Max Schneider has contributed a team-high 23 steals.
 
Breaking Down Nazareth: The Nazareth University  Golden Flyers are 12-5 on the season, and are 7-1 in conference play. Jaylen Savage is the team's top scorer, averaging 21.1 points per game, while also contributing 5.6 rebounds per contest. From beyond the arc, Tyler Putney has been a consistent sharpshooter, hitting 38.4 percent of his three-point attempts. Merritt Holly leads the team in rebounds, averaging 6.2 per game. Luke Insley is a key playmaker, recording a team-high 116 assists this season. Defensively, Jaylen Savage has been active with 29 steals, while Merritt Holly has recorded 6 blocks.
 
Up Next: The team continues conference play by traveling to take on the Hartwick College Hawks. Tip off from Oneonta, NY on Friday, February 7 is set for 7:30pm.