By: Utica College Athletics
ELMIRA, NY - The Utica College men's basketball team topped the Elmira Soaring Eagles Saturday afternoon by a final score of 83-66 to advance to 16-4 on the season. This marks the Pioneers fourth-straight win, advancing to 7-2 in the Empire 8.
Sophomore guard Darius Hopkins, who is UC's leading scorer with an average of 13.9 points per game, poured in a game-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. Hopkins was feeling it from beyond the arc, also netting a game-high four 3-pointers.
Junior center Kimedrick Murphy was also a huge difference-maker in this game, tabbing his fourth double-double of the season on 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
UC set the tone early in this contest, working a comfortable 19-5 lead with just under 12 minutes left to play in the first half. This start was a perfect indication of how the rest of the game would unfold, as the Pioneers never gave up the lead for the duration of the contest. Utica led 40-28 heading into the half and outscored Elmira 43-38 in the second stanza to secure the victory.
Junior guard Kobe Lufkin made huge contributions coming off the bench, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.
Freshman point guard Brett Talbert rounded out the UC scorebook with 11 points while adding three assists in the winning effort.
The 7-2 conference record slates the Pioneers at third in the Empire 8, behind only Nazareth and St. John Fisher who each sit atop the E8 with an 8-1 conference record. Sage rounds out the top four teams in the conference with a 4-5 Empire 8 record.
Utica has a week off before returning to the court for a two-game weekend. The Pioneers are set to host Alfred on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Houghton on Saturday at 2 p.m.