By: Utica College Athletics
Utica, NY - The Utica College men's basketball team topped the Sage Gators 82-64 Tuesday night at Miga Court behind a 31-point performance from freshman forward Thomas Morreale. The Pioneers advanced to 10-2 with this conference-opening win.
Utica never trailed in this contest, taking its sixth-consecutive win in convincing fashion while holding on to the best overall record in the conference heading into Empire 8 play.
Morreale had his best outing of the season. He added a game-high 13 rebounds on top of his career-high 31 points, tabbing his second-career double-double. His first came in a 14-point, 10-rebound showing against Neumann on Nov. 30. The Gators had no answer for the 6-foot-5 forward, as he finished the night shooting 11-of-14 from the field, 4-of-5 from 3-point land, and a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.
Senior forward Hunter Remley totaled 14 points in this contest on 3-of-7 shooting from downtown. Junior guard Kobe Lufkin wrote a similar script, finishing with 12 points while shooting 4-of-6 from 3-point land.
Freshman guard Brett Talbert continued his stellar first-year campaign, netting eight points, five rebounds and a team-high four assists.
Junior center Kimedrick Murphy put in work on the defensive end as he's done all season, swatting a game-high three blocks while grabbing eight boards in addition to his four points.
UC men's basketball will seek its seventh-straight win - a mark that would tie the most-consecutive wins for a Utica team under Sean Coffey's direction - this Friday against Elmira College. This Empire 8 matchup is slated for a 5:30 p.m. start at Miga Court.