Men's Basketball | 1/22/2022 6:35:00 PM
UTICA, NY - The Utica College men's basketball team held off the Houghton College Highlanders team for a 70-60 win on Real Men Wear Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Night.
The Highlanders opened the game on a 9-3 run with seven points coming in the paint. Darius Hopkins scored the next three baskets for the Pioneers to even the game at nine with 13:30 to play. From that point until just over four minutes left, neither side was able to gain more than a three point lead until the Highlanders went up 29-24. UC ended the half on a floater by Hopkins and a Layup by Justice Brantley to enter the half behind 29-28.
After Kimedrick Murphy started the half with a layup to put Utica up by one, Houghton went on a 16-3 run over four minutes for a game-high 12 point lead with under 16 minutes to play. This lit a spark underneath the Pioneers as the team went on a 18-0 run of their own to lead the Highlanders 51-45 at the 10 minute mark.
A pair of layups by Chris Green and a big three-pointer by Kobe Lufkin helped push UC ahead 60-57 until under four minutes left when Hopkins extended the lead to five on a jumper. Over the last three minutes the Highlanders were held to three points while a Damien Call breakaway dunk with 30 seconds left iced the game and sealed the win for Utica.
With his 19 points tonight on 4-for-8 three-point shooting, Lufkin now sits two points away from 1,000 in his career. For the second night in a row, Hopkins led Utica in points as he ended the game with 23 on 9-for-16 shooting. Off the bench, Brantley added nine points on 50 percent shooting while Avery Coston made his presence felt with 10 rebounds and three assists.
UC (12-3, 6-1 Empire 8) will host Keystone College on Tuesday in a non-conference meeting. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.