UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's basketball team is set to host the third seed Nazareth Golden Flyers in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament semifinal on Wednesday, February 26. Tip off from Miga Court inside the Clark Athletic Center is set for 7pm. 
 
Ticketing Information: For those attending, admission will be $6 for adults, $4 for students and seniors with ID, and children under 12 are free. Admission is to be paid in cash only. 
 
Follow Along: For those unable to attend, live video can be found here and live stats can be found here. 
 
Last Time Out: The team defeated the Houghton University Highlanders by a score of 80-68 in the first round of the Empire 8 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament last Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Pioneers will advance to the tournament semifinal. Five different Pioneers finished with double figures in scoring. Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) led the Pioneers with a double double (15 pts, 10 reb) along with a team high five assists. Dayion Thompson (Beacon, NY/Kimball Union Academy) chipped in 14 points going a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line, as well as a steal. Isaiah Smith (Amsterdam, NY/Schalmont) was a spark off the bench for the Pioneers, contributing 14 points. Hagen Foley (Albany, NY/Christian Brothers Academy) and Liam Teague (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) each chipped in 11 points with Foley tallying two assists and a steal, and Teague with nine total rebounds and a block. 
 
Bracketology: Here's an updated look at the tournament bracket heading into the semifinal round, as well as scores from the first round matchups, along with the remaining tournament schedule. 
 
Saturday, February 22 – First Round (All games at Higher Seed)
No. 1 SUNY Brockport defeated No. 8 SUNY Geneseo, 87-66
No. 2 Utica defeated No. 7 Houghton, 80-68 
No. 3 Nazareth defeated No. 6 Russell Sage, 73-65 
No. 4 SUNY Poly defeated No. 5 Alfred, 66-65 
 
Wednesday, February 26 – Semifinals (All games at Higher Seed)
No. 4 SUNY Poly at No. 1 SUNY Brockport – 7:30 p.m.
No. 3 Nazareth at No. 2 Utica – 7 p.m.
 
Saturday, March 1 - Championship Final (at Highest Remaining Seed) 
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 - TBA
 
A Look at Nazareth: The Nazareth University Golden Flyers, storied foe of the Pioneers, survived and advanced the the semifinal round after completing a 17 point comeback with 12 minutes remaining in the contest, defeating the Russell Sage College Gators by a score of 73-65. Jaylen Savage has led the Golden Flyers all season in scoring, averaging just over 20 points per game. Tyler Putney, Luke Insley and Merritt Holly have ach been ab;e to contribute to the Nazareth offense, each averaging double digit scoring figures per game throughout the season. Holly has been the leading rebounder for the Golden Flyers averaging over seven rebounds per game. Solomon McFarlane has not been one to mess with for Nazareth, generaating a team high 45 steals this season. 
 
A Tale as Old as Time: Since the inception of the Empire 8, these two teams have met in the conference tournament four times, with each team taking home two wins and two losses. The first time the teams met in the tournament was in the 2017-18 conference title game, where Nazareth pulled off a 66-64 victory over the Pioneers. In the Spring 2021 season that was changed due to COVID-19, the Pioneers met with the Golden Flyers in a semifinal matchup, where the Pioneers would advance to the conference title game, and win the program's first conference title. Both teams have split title game meetings since then, with Utica taking last season's title game matchup by a score of 97-90 at home. All time against the Golden Flyers, the Pioneers are 32-38, and are 19-16 when the game is played on Miga Court. In the last 10 matchups between the two teams, the Pioneers once again take the edge at 6-4. Last time out against Nazareth earlier this season, Utica was able to overcome a 26 point deficit to force overtime for the second time this season and defeated the Golden Flyers 87-77 at home. 

Up Next: With a win, the Pioneers would advance to the Empire 8 Conference tournament championship game on Saturday, March 1. An opponent, game time, and location is yet to be determined.