UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's basketball team is set to take on the SUNY Potsdam Bears in the team's lone matchup this week. Tip off from Miga Court inside the Clark Athletic Center is set for 6pm on Tuesday, December 2.
Follow Along: For those unable to attend, live video for Tuesday's matchup can be found
here, and live stats
here.
Last Time Out: The team took its home opener in dominant fashion over the Keystone College Giants by a score of 86-69 on Saturday evening. Three Pioneers finished with double scoring figures in
Liam Teague (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) (17pts, 5-11 FG, 3-4 3PT),
Jordan Cain (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) (14pts, 5-10 FG, 2-3 3PT, 2-3 FT), and
Ryan McCardle (Hurley, NY/Kingston) (14pts, 6-10 Fg, 1-4 3PT, 1-2 FT). Leading the rebounding efforts for the Pioneers was
Keyaton Parks (Albany, NY/Green Tech High Charter) who managed to haul in eight boards, followed by Teague and McCardle each with six on the evening. Cain was also able to make plays, dishing out a team high five assists, while
Isaiah Smith (Amsterdam, NY/Schalmont) registered three. Defensively, Cain and McCardle each managed a pair of steals while
Joshua Sand (Beekmantown, NY/Beekmantown),
Griffin Barasa (Clearwater, FL/Calvary Christian),
Jayden Larregue (Briarcliff, NY/Briarcliff), Teague, and
Ben Wittman (Sherrill, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) each tallied one. Teague added to his outing with a block, while Parks and
Jeffrey Manuel (Syracuse, NY/Liverpool) each registered one as well.
Point Producers: There has been no shortage of firepower in the Pioneer offense to start this season.
Jordan Cain (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) has slotted into the top 10 scorers in the conference with his 17.4 points per game average, with a total of 86 points in five games. Cain's mark is good enough for seventh on the current conference leaderboard.
Ryan McCardle (Hurley, NY/Kingston) leads the conference in two out of the three major shooting categories, leading in field goal percentage with .625, and in three point field goal percentage with .652. McCardle is also slotted into the top five in three point field goals per game on the conference leaderboard, averaging three per game with a total of 15 on the season.
Scouting Potsdam: The SUNY Potsdam Bears have been held winless to start this season, opening 0-5. The Bears have been outscored by opponents by an average of 24.6 points per game to start this season. Leading the Bears offense has been Mike Hancock and Ethan Baksh. Hancock leads the team in scoring with an average of 10 points per game, while Baksh is not far behind with an average of 8.4 points per game. Joseph Decker and Batualp Ozen have been the team's best shooters this season, with Decker shooting .462 off the bench, and Ozen shooting .440 as a starter. From three point range, Jaylen Singh leads the Bears, shooting .333 from beyond the arc. Leading the rebounding efforts for the Bears has been Hancock who has averaged 5.6 rebounds per game. Hancock has also helped to lead the team defensively, tied for the team lead in steals with Bryson Brown, each nabbing 10 steals this season, while Decker leads the team with five blocks on the season.
Up Next: The Pioneers remain home to take on the Hamilton College Continentals. Tip off from Miga Court inside the Clark Athletic Center is set for 7pm on Tuesday, December 9.
