UTICA, NY- On Tuesday night, the regular season came to an end for the Utica women's basketball team, but not before the squad took down cross-town rivals SUNY Poly 64-55 in a heated matchup.

MILESTONE - In her final collegiate game, McKenzie Simmons (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) crossed the 1000 point milestone mark with a game high 24 points. She achieved the feat during a fourth quarter where the Pioneers made some veteran plays, closing out Poly to end the season on a high. Congratulations to Mckenzie for achieving greatness. She became the 16th player in program history to obtain the feat.

Offensively, M Simmons led with 24 points (7-14 FG, 2-6 3pt, 8-8 FT), Vanessa Hall (Independence, NY/Whitesville Central) scored 19 points (7-11 FG, 5-6 FT), and Carly Atty (Tribes Hill, NY/Fonda-Fultonville) scored 10 points (3-9 FG, 2-6 3pt). Natalie Cornell (Greenwood, NY/Jasper-Troupsburg) secured a game high 17 rebounds, while M Simmons had 11 rebounds, followed by Hall with nine. Defensively, M Simmons led the team in both steals and blocks, with one each.

The visitors took a 10-8 lead early, which would be the Wildcats' final lead of the game. Utica got in front with impressive buckets from Hall and M Simmons, who took over with a combined 14 points to end the first quarter on top 15-12. The Pioneers opened a high scoring second quarter with 3 pointers from M Simmons and Madison Marusic (Herkimer, NY/Herkimer). Utica dominated the paint with a 14-7 rebound advantage, controlling the game down low. Although the visitors forced four turnovers, scoring 13 points on the fast break, they couldn't maintain consistent offense, allowing Utica to keep the lead throughout the second quarter. The Pioneers would enter halftime with a 36-29 lead.

In a contrasting third quarter, both teams struggled to piece together offense with only 19 combined points. A three pointer from Atty kept Utica in front, while Hall and M Simmons found points at the free throw line. A fiery fourth quarter was spent mostly at the free throw line, with Utica scoring nine of their 17 points from fouls. A solid defensive effort forced the Wildcats into low percentage efforts, with the hosts continuing to flex their rebounding advantage. The Pioneers gave a dominant performance to close the season, leading for nearly 80% of the game. 

The Pioneers wrapped up their 2025-2026 campaign with a clutch win. Check out the team and department media channels for more information about the 2026-2027 season.