By: Utica College Athletics
UTICA, NY - The Utica College men's basketball team advanced to 18-6 Tuesday night with a convincing 94-66 victory over the Houghton Highlanders at Miga Court. This contest was the definition of a team win, as 13 Pioneers etched their name in the scorebook.
This marks the final home game for UC men's basketball, where it finished with an impressive 10-2 home record in the 2019-2020 season. The team also advances to 9-4 in the Empire 8, clinching the No. 3 seed in the Empire 8 conference tournament next weekend.
Utica set the tone early in this one, jumping out to a convincing 32-11 advantage with just over 10 minutes left to play in the half. The team was feeling it from behind the arc, as 18 of these 32 points came by way of the 3-ball. Senior forward Hunter Remley led the effort with two 3-pointers of his own to kickstart UC's offense early on.
The Pioneers went into the locker room with a 20-point, 47-27 advantage and outscored the Highlanders 47-39 in the second half to secure their ninth E8 victory of the season. Throughout the entire game, Utica trailed for only 14 seconds.
Sophomore guard Darius Hopkins continued to impress, netting a team-high 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and two 3-pointers. Junior guard Kobe Lufkin finished right behind Hopkins in his third start of the season, as he tabbed 14 points on 2-of-4 shooting from 3-point land. Sophomore guard Chris Green was the only other Pioneer to finish scoring in double digits, posting 10 points coming off the bench.
Freshman forward Justice Brantley dished out a team-high five assists coupled with nine points, while classmate Brett Talbert matched him with nine points of his own. Remley rounded out the UC scoresheet with eight points and five rebounds.
The Pioneers will return to action for their final game of the season against Sage this Saturday on the road at 2 p.m.