UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's basketball team is set to open conference play this week as the team hosts Empire 8 Conference newcomer SUNY Brockport on Tuesday, January 7, at 7:30pm on Miga Court inside the Clark Athletic Center. The team then travels west to take on storied Empire 8 rivals in Nazareth and St. John Fisher. Friday, the team will take on Nazareth at 7:30pm and on Saturday, the team will take on St. John Fisher at 4pm. 
 
Follow Along: For those unable to make it, live video for Tuesday's matchup can be found here, and live stats can be found here. Live video for Friday's matchup can be found here, and live stats can be found here. For Saturday's matchup, live video can be found here, and live stats can be found here. 
 
Last Time Out: The team fell in its final contest of the 2024 slate to the Hobart College Statesmen back on December 16. The Pioneers would fall to its final non-conference opponent by a score of 77-66. Leading the way for the Pioneers was Dayion Thompson (Beacon, NY/Kimball Union Academy) who recorded a monster 17 points (5-15 FG0, 4-9 3PT, 3-3 FT) in just the second half of the contest. Thompson would add one assist, one block, and one steal to his stat line for the afternoon. Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) continued to be a presence for the Pioneers, leading all Pioneer rebounders with nine total rebounds, recording six assists on the day, and tallied two blocks and one steal. Liam Teague (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) was everywhere for Utica, tallying nine points (4-9 FG, 1-4 3PT) with seven total boards. Teague was a force on defense, recording a career high four blocked shots. Ethan Rivers (Madison, NY/Madison Central) put together a solid outing off the bench, with eight points (3-6 FG, 1-2 3PT, 1-2 FT) and swiping two steals. 
 
Where We Stand: With the team's non-conference slate complete, the Pioneers find themselves in the middle of the pack in the conference in scoring offense averaging 76 points per game. Utica has one of the best defenses in the league only allowing 68.8 points per game to opponents. In scoring, the Pioneers find themselves top-three in the conference in team field goal percentage, with 44.5 percent of attempts resulting in points. Utica is also one of the best three-point shooting teams in the conference, with over 39 percent of the team's attempts falling. In rebounding, the Pioneers are averaging 34.1 total team rebounds per game. Utica also finds itself inside the top three in blocked shots with 32 total this season. The Pioneers rank inside the top five in steals as well, with 74 total steals this season. 
 
Scouting Brockport: The Empire 8 Conference newcomer SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles have posted a 2-6 record on the season so far. As a team, the Golden Eagles are averaging just over 80 points per game. Zachary Rice has been the team's leading scorer, averaging 12.5 points per game. Rice has been the team's top threat from outside, leading the team in field goal percentage with .400. From the floor, Tony Arnold has been one of the team's top threats, leading the team with 4.8 made field goals per game. Arnold has also been the team's top rebounder, with 50 total rebounds for an average of 6.3 rebounds per game. Arnold also holds the team lead in steals with 25. Jacob Oka currently holds the team lead in blocked shots with five.  
 
A Look at Naz: The Nazareth Golden Flyers have posted a 6-4 record this season and are 1-0 in conference play. As a team, Nazareth has averaged 76.6 points per game, and has allowed 77 points per game to opponents this season. Jaylen Savage is currently the team's leading scorer averaging 19.5 points per game. Savage also holds the team lead in scoring from the floor, with an average of 7.4 made field goals per game. In blocked shots, Savage holds the team lead with seven. From outside, Tyler Putney has been the team's top threat, with an average of 2.2 made 3-point field goals per game. Merritt Holly has been the team's leading rebounder, with 60 total rebounds for an average of six rebounds per game. Luke Insley currently holds the team lead in the assist column with 50 total assists this season. The Pioneers and the Golden Flyers have a storied history, dating back to 1979. In recent history, both teams have squared off in the Empire 8 Conference Championship three times, with Utica taking last season's crown 97-90. All time, Utica is 31-37 against Nazareth, with a record of 13-21 when visiting the Golden Flyers. 
 
Breaking Down Fisher: The St. John Fisher Cardinals have posted a 4-5 record on the season. Averaging 67.2 points per game, the Cardinals have been outscored by opponents by an average of 4.2 points per game. Eric Kegler is the team's leading scorer, averaging 14.4 points per game. Kegler also holds the team lead from the floor, with an average of 4.8 made field goals per game. Kegler has also been able to get the offense going, dishing out a team high 27 assists. From beyond the arc, Cole Thompson has been the greatest threat to opponents, leading the team in 3-point field goal percentage with 53.1 percent of attempts resulting in points. Connor Williams has been a stout rebounder for Fisher with 58 total rebounds on the season for an average of 6.4 rebounds per game. Maximus Michalski currently holds the team lead in blocked shots with eight. Max Schneider has been the biggest thorn in the sides of offenses this season, swiping himself 15 steals. 

Up Next: The team travels to take on another conference newcomer in SUNY Geneseo. Tip off from Geneseo, NY on Tuesday, January 14 is set for 7:30pm.