UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's basketball team saw its recent four-game win streak come to an end on Saturday afternoon as the Pioneers fell in the final moments of overtime to a plucky Geneseo Knights team. The Knights would tie the game at 70 with 1.2 seconds remaining on the clock, and then completed the comeback to win 77-74 in overtime after senior leader Daiyon Thompson fouled out in regulation for the orange and blue.
Utica fell to 11-4 on the season and dropped to 4-2 in the Empire 8 with the defeat. Geneseo improved to 8-6 on the season and 4-2 in the Empire 8.
Liam Teague (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) logged a team-high 19 points in the contest, also pulling down eight rebounds as he went an efficient 8-12 from the floor and 2-3 from beyond the arc.
Jordan Cain (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) and Thompson scored 16 and 15 points, respectively, to supplement the offense. Senior sharpshooter
Ryan McCardle (Hurley, NY/Kingston) was the final Pioneer to register double-digit scoring, notching 11 points thanks to a personal 11-0 run in the second half that helped the hosts take a late lead.
Keyaton Parks (Albany, NY/Green Tech High Charter) played a key role on Saturday afternoon, scoring eight points, pulling down 12 rebounds, and blocking four shots in the matchup.
The Pioneers shot well from the floor in regulation, but struggled in overtime, going 2-8 from the floor, 0-3 from three-point land, and 0-3 from the charity stripe. The Geneseo bench also put in a solid effort to take down the reigning champion Pioneers, scoring 32 bench points compared to the orange and blue's 14-point bench contribution. The Knights used the big bench performance, along with a powerful shooting showcase, to help get an edge against the talented Utica team, as Geneseo shot nearly 50% from the floor (29-60 - 48.3%) and 88.2% from the free-throw line (15-17).
The Pioneers had the advantage early on, speeding up the Knights as they shot out to an 11-point lead by the midway mark of the first half. A hot-shooting spell from Geneseo's Trevor Hofer helped trim the deficit to just one point over the next three minutes and change. The two teams then went blow-for-blow to wrap up the first half, with neither team possessing more than a five-point lead during the rest of the first frame. Geneseo would hold a slim advantage for the first nine minutes of the second half, before McCardle's 11-0 run helped the Pioneers regain the lead entering the final stages of the matchup. The game then took on a tense atmosphere for the final few minutes, as it was a one-score affair from the nine-minute mark all the way until the end of regulation. Thompson would foul out with just under two minutes remaining in the second half, before Geneseo's Colin Gentile would knot the game up at 70-all with 1.2 seconds left in regulation. The Knights would take control from there, eventually getting the win in overtime by a 77-74 final.
The Pioneers will have no midweek matchup next week and will instead look forward to another home double with Keuka and Elmira visiting Miga Court on Friday, January 23rd, and Saturday, January 24th. Friday's game gets underway at 7:30 PM, while Saturday's showdown with the Soaring Eagles tips off at 4:00 PM.
