UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's basketball team is set for its second to last week of conference play this week. The team travels to take on the Hartwick College Hawks on Friday, February 7 at 5:30pm, before returning home for its final home game of the regular season on Saturday, February 8 at 2pm. Saturday's contest will serve as the team's senior day. 
 
Follow Along: For those unable to attend, live video for Friday's matchup can be found here, while 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 conference rival Nazareth University this past weekend in hopes of bouncing back from a series of tough losses. Utica's McKenzie Simmons (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) and Hayleigh Lagase (Wallingford, CT/Mark T. Sheehan) were stand out players tonight combining for more than half of the Pioneer's total points. Despite their impressive performances they could not stop the Golden Flyer's who have only had one loss on the season. The Pioneers fell by a score of 73-51. Utica's Vanessa Hall (Whitesville, NY/Whitesville Central) also had a notable performance making it to the line three times, converting on all five attempts. Hall finished with 11 points, two rebounds, and one block. 
 
Senior Day: Prior to Saturday's contest, the team would like to honor its seniors for their contributions to the program. Hayleigh Lagase (Wallingford, CT/Mark T. Sheehan), Kelsey McCaskill (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy), McKenzie Simmons (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook), and Carly Atty (Tribes Hill, NY/Fonda-Fultonville) will all be honored prior to the game. 
 
Two Way Street: McKenzie Simmons (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) put together a trio of solid outings for the Pioneers last week. Simmons was good for 50 points, for an average 16.7 points per game. Simmons recorded 22 total rebounds, six assists, a block, and a steal. Across the three games, Simmons was good for 38 percent shooting from the floor. Against Poly, Simmons recorded 18 points on 42 percent shooting from the floor and 33 percent from beyond the arc. Simmons hauled in 10 rebounds, dished out four assists, and tallied a block. Against Fisher, Simmons was good for 17 points on 35 percent shooting from the floor, with five rebounds. Simmons also added two assists and a steal in that contest. Against Nazareth, Simmons netted 15 points on 39 percent shooting from the floor, 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc, and was 4-5 from the free throw line. 
 
A Look at Hartwick: The Hawks are currently 3-8 in the conference and 5-14 overall. Hartwick is being led by sophomore guard Macy Durkin who has 219 points this season, averaging 11 points a game. Durkin does it all for the Hawks as she leads in rebounds as well, averaging 8 boards per game. Junior Emma Cohen leads the team in shots beyond the arc with 23 made three-pointers this season. Defensively, Kylie Guarino leads the team with 11 total blocks, averaging 1 block per game. The last time the Pioneers faced off against the Hawks, Utica came out on top 63-47, Durkin had a memorable performance that game, registering 14 points and 16 rebounds. 
 
Scouting Sage: Sage is sitting at 5-6 in the conference and 7-13 overall. Junior guard Layla Acosta and senior guard Malena Gereau are leading the team offensively with 12 points per game. Not only does Gareau lead the team in average points, she is also a key factor defensively, with a total of 10 blocks on the year. The last time the Pioneers faced off against the Gators, it was a one-basket affair, with Sage winning by a score of 58-57. Acosta led the Gators that game, dropping 15 points, 2 assists, and 7 rebounds. Forward Kallie Hopkins was also a problem for the Pioneers as she scored 13 points and registered 11 rebounds. 

Up Next: The Pioneers will be away at Elmira College Friday, February 14. Tip-off from Elmira, NY is set for 5:30 PM.