UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's basketball team is set for its final weekend road trip this weekend. The team will travel to Elmira, NY to take on the Elmira College Soaring Eagles on Friday, February 14 at 7:30pm. The team will then travel to Keuka Park, NY on Saturday, February 15 to take on the Keuka College Wolves at 4pm.
 
Follow Along: For those unable to attend, live video for Friday's matchup can be found here, and live stats can be found here. Live video for Saturday's matchup can be found here, while live stats can be found here. 
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers hosted Russell Sage this weekend as they honored their seniors in their annual Senior Day game. Utica went into this one on a three-game winning streak in hopes of continuing their good form. They did just that as Hagen Foley (Albany, NY/Christian Brothers Academy) and Damien Call's (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) dynamic scoring led the team to a 70-61 win. Foley ended the game with 20 points, shooting 61 percent from the field and shooting a perfect 4-4 from the line. On top of leading the scoring for the Pioneers, Foley registered 3 rebounds and dished out three assists. Call had a notable performance as well, ending the game with 18 points and an impressive ten rebounds, with nine of them being defensive. Call also had a milestone moment as he hit a free-throw for his 1000th career point. Freshman guard Jordan Cain (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) served as an offensive spark, coming off the bench and scoring 11 points. He shot 60 percent from beyond the arc. Dayion Thompson (Beacon, NY/Kimball Union Academy), who usually performs offensively, helped the team out defensively tonight, logging two steals and a block.
 
Where We Stand: The Pioneers are currently 9-4 in conference play, putting them in third place. Utica is in a tight race for the second seed with cross-town rivals SUNY Poly, and conference-rivals Nazareth University. If the Pioneers win their remaining games, and so does Nazareth, all three teams have the chance to have the same conference record. The tie breaker would be given to Nazareth as they have beaten SUNY Poly twice this season and the Pioneers would be given the third seed. The worst scenario for the Pioneers would be landing in fourth place, meaning that regardless of the Pioneers remaining results, they will be hosting at least one Empire 8 play-off game.
 
Mr. Milestone: Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) has been named Empire 8 Men's Basketball Co-Player of the Week, as announced by the league on Monday. Call was the backbone of the Pioneer offense this week, with his 36 points pushing him past the 1000 career point milestone. Across two games, Call shot 58 percent from the floor, 50 percent from beyond the arc, and was 6-8 in his attempts from the free throw line. Call was able to bring in 15 total rebounds, dished out six assists, and tallied both a block and a steal. Against Hartwick, Call was good for 18 points on 57 percent shooting from the floor and was a perfect 2-2 on his attempts from the free throw line. Call managed to bring in five rebounds, dished out five assists, and recorded a block and a steal in the contest. Against Sage, Call was good for another 18 points on 60 percent shooting from the floor, and was a perfect 2-2 from beyond the arc. Call was able to haul in 10 rebounds, nine being defensive in the contest as well. 
 
All-Stars: Dayion Thompson (Beacon, NY/Kimball Union Academy) is currently the third best free-throw shooter in the nation with 89 total points from the line and shooting an impressive 93 percent. Thompson is also the fourth best offensive player in the conference with a total of 361 points averaging 16 points per game. Hagen Foley (Albany, NY/Christian Brothers Academy) is the sixth best offensive player in the conference with a total of 346 points, averaging just under 16 points per game. Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) ranks sixth in the conference in rebounds with a total of 156 boards on the season. Call is also ranked fifth in the conference in total assists with a total of 72.
 
Freshman Standout: Jordan Cain (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) was a key contributor for the Pioneers last week, Cain was good for 17 points in two games, shooting 50 percent from the floor and 57 percent from three. Cain also brought in seven rebounds, dished out one assist, and nabbed two steals. Against Hartwick, Cain was good for six points, going 2-4 from the floor, and 1-2 from three. Cain was able to bring in four rebounds, give out one assist, and a steal. Against Sage, Cain was good for 11 points after going 4-8 from the floor, and was 3-5 from outside the arc. Cain also managed to bring in three rebounds, with a steal in the contest as well.
 
A Look at Elmira: The Soaring Eagles are currently 3-10 in conference play and 7-15 overall. Tyler Cordello leads Elmira offensively, averaging 15 points per game and logging a total of 335 points on the season. Spencer Riley is the teams leading 3-point shooter with a total of 50 shots made from beyond the arc and shooting just under 40 percent from deep. JJ Babcock leads the team on the defensive side, with a total of 23 blocks and 162 rebounds. The last time the Soaring Eagles faced off against the Pioneers was last season where Utica came out on top 93-72. Cordello led the team that game with 9 points, shooting 30 percent from the field. 
 
Scouting Keuka: The Wolves are 4-9 in the conference and 7-14 overall. Akinlana Popoola is the team's scoring leader with a total of 328 points this season, averaging 15 points per game. Popoola does not just score for the team, he also leads the roster in steals with a total of 33 on the season. Will Tehan is also a notable player for Keuka as he has racked up 100 rebounds this season, with 80 of them being defensive. The last time the Wolves faced off against the Pioneers was the 23-24 season where Utica came out on top by a score of 88-70. Tehan registered 6 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds that game. 
 
Up Next: The team travels to take on Empire 8 Conference newcomer and cross-town rival in the team's final regular season SUNY Poly on Tuesday, February 18 with a tip off slated for 7:30pm. The Pioneers will then begin preparations for the Empire 8 Conference Championship tournament.