ONEONTA, NY - The Utica University men's basketball team capped its week long road trip with another victory, defeating the Hartwick College Hawks by a score of 70-61 on Tuesday evening.
With tonight's win over Hartwick, Head Men's Basketball Coach Sean Coffey has taken his place as the program's career wins leader, with an overall record of 170-71 across his 10 seasons with the Pioneers.
Five Pioneers finished in double scoring figures in Dayion Thompson (Beacon, NY/Kimball Union Academy) (13pts, 4-10 FG, 5-5 FT), Liam Teague (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) (12 pts, 5-12 FG, 2-4 FT), Zyon Lord (Bronx, NY/Salisbury School) (12pts, 4-9 FG, 3-6 3pt, 1-4 FT), Keyaton Parks (Albany, NY/Green Tech High Charter) (12pts, 5-6 FG, 2-2 FT), and Jordan Cain (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) (10pts, 3-8 FG, 1-3 3pt, 3-6 FT). Teague paced the rebounding efforts for the Pioneers with a team leading seven rebounds, while Cain hauled in six, followed by Lord and Parks who ended the evening each with five. Defensively, Lord led the way with a team leading four blocks on the evening, while both Parks and Teague each had at least one. Ryan McCardle (Hurley, NY/Kingston) managed to swipe a pair of steals.
Utica set the tone immediately in the opening half, jumping out to an early lead behind the hot shooting of Lord, who drilled a pair of three-pointers in the first three minutes as the Pioneers surged ahead 6–3. Utica's defensive energy was just as sharp, forcing turnovers and recording multiple early blocks from Lord, Teague, and Cain to disrupt Hartwick's rhythm. A fast-break layup by Cain and steady interior scoring from Dayion Thompson (Beacon, NY/Kimball Union Academy) helped Utica push the margin to double digits, and a late three from Cain capped a strong first-half stretch that saw the Pioneers carry a 30–20 advantage into the break after controlling the pace.
The Pioneers maintained control coming out of halftime, with Parks and Teague repeatedly converting in the paint to keep Utica comfortably in front. When Hartwick attempted to chip away with perimeter shooting, Utica answered—most notably with timely buckets from Thompson and Cain to steady the offense. Hartwick made a late push inside the final six minutes, cutting the deficit to three, but Utica responded with composure. Lord knocked down another clutch three, Thompson converted at the line, and Cain sealed the contest with late free throws as the Pioneers closed out a 70–61 victory, securing the road win.
Utica (10-3, 3-1 Empire 8) returns home to take on the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles. Tip off from Miga Court inside the Clark Athletic Center is set for 7:30pm on Friday, January 16.
