Men's Basketball | 2/26/2024 7:23:00 PM
UTICA, NY - The Empire 8 Champion Utica University men's basketball team will travel to Hartford, CT for the opening weekend of the NCAA Division III tournament. The Pioneers will take on host school and current No. 3 Trinity College in the NCAA First Round at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 1. With a win, Utica would then play either Virginia Wesleyan or Swarthmore in the NCAA Second Round at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 2.
Follow Along: Trinity will provide live video
here and live stats
here.
Ticket Info: Unclaimed tickets have entered back into the general public pool. Tickets can now be purchased though
https://bantamsports.tscheckout.com/. All tickets will be $15 per individual. Tickets will be all-session tickets that can be used for the Virginia Wesleyan vs. Swarthmore game at 4 p.m., as well as the Utica vs. Trinity contest at 6:30 p.m.
Please note that there will be no assigned seating for those attending the game.
The Venue: Ray Oosting Gymnasium, located on the campus of Trinity College, is the home of the Stan Ogrodnik Court and of the Trinity basketball, volleyball, and wrestling teams and has seating for up to 2,200 (1,800 capacity for basketball). It boasts two volleyball courts, two basketball courts, and was the site of the men's NCAA Division III basketball regional playoffs in 1995 and 2014 and the New England Wrestling Association Championships in 2010-11. The gymnasium had a recent face lift, giving it a more modern look while also highlighting the rich history of Trinity's basketball, volleyball, and wrestling programs.
Last Time Out: For the second time in program history, the Utica University men's basketball team has captured the Empire 8 Championship and an automatic berth into the 2023-24 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament. The Pioneers defeated the second-seeded Nazareth University Golden Flyers, 97-90, on Miga Court to be crowned the champions of the Empire 8 Conference last Saturday. Experience paved the way for the Pioneers as Empire 8 Tournament MVP and graduate student,
Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill), poured in 28 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the floor and 4-for-8 from downtown.
Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) was a menace around the rim with 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting to go with a team high eight boards.
Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) added a second Empire 8 championship to his outstanding Utica career as he contributed 17 points (6-6 FG, 1-1 3PT, 4-4 FT).
Luke Bourgault (Troy, NY/LaSalle Institute) had 13 points and seven rebounds while
Hagen Foley (Albany, NY/Christian Brothers Academy) dropped 12. It would be Foley and Morreale who opened up the game with back-to-back three-pointers to give Utica a quick 6-0 edge. Nazareth would storm back trailing just 10-9 at the 14:27 mark as the team's offense heated up. Brantley canned a deep triple, yet the teams exchanged buckets knotting the contest at 20-20. Bourgault nailed a pair of triples to push the Utica lead to six yet the Golden Flyers responded with a three-pointer of their own to even the score at 36-36 late in the first half. Call rose up for a pretty layup to give Utica a 40-38 edge after the first half. The teams opened the second half with a pair of buckets and a Call five-point scoring run gave Utica a 49-45 lead at the 16:38 mark. Brantley and Morreale hit some tough jumpers to push the Pioneers advantage to 59-51 at the 12:47 mark. Foley and Brantley continued to hit clutch shots as the team led 68-56 with 9:19 remaining in the game. Utica's offense continued to be reliable, leading 75-62 yet Nazareth canned a pair of triples to cut the lead to just 75-70 at the 5:14 mark. Foley and Brantley each converted huge three pointers to extend the lead to 81-72 with just over four minutes remaining. The Pioneers led 85-73 with under two minutes to play yet the Golden Flyers used an eight-point run to cut it to 92-89 with 27 seconds to play. Utica made its free throws with a Foley dunk sealing the 97-90 Empire 8 Championship victory.
Sweat Free: The Pioneers were able to breathe a sigh of relief during the selection show on Monday as there was no question that their name would be called. Unlike last year when the team earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, the Pioneers captured the automatic bid into the dance this year. The previous two times the program qualified for NCAA play came by way of an at-large bid as this was the first time in program history the team's conference title led them into the NCAA Tournament. Utica's last Empire 8 title came in the 2020-21 season when the NCAA Tournament was canceled.
How we Got Here: The Pioneers earned the Empire 8 automatic bid with its conference championship win over Nazareth on February 24. Utica, who owns a 24-3 overall record, set a new single-season program record for victories, topping the 23 wins set in each of the previous two seasons as well as in the 2005-06 season. The team has been dominant with an average winning margin of 10.7 which led the conference and ranks 33rd in the NCAA Division III. The Pioneers have been red-hot winning four of its last five games by double-digits. The team's offense has been shooting at a historic clip of 49.87 percent which ranks second in NCAA Division III. Utica has taken care of the ball all season ranking tied for 43rd in the nation in assist to turnover margin boasting a 1.30.
Tournament History: This will be the third trip to the NCAA Tournament in program history for the Pioneers with each of the last two visits coming by way of an at-large berth. In the 2005-06 season, the E8 runner-up Pioneers defeated Gordon College in the first round, 71-66, before taking down Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the second round, 76-58. The team eventually fell to St. John Fisher in the Sweet 16. In the 2022-23 season, Utica once again made the field as an at-large team and made noise in the first round with a 72-60 win over Babson College. The Pioneers then matched up with No. 22 Rowan University and fell short, 83-72.
Winning Time: Justice Brantley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) and
Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) are in peak form heading into the NCAA Division III Tournament after stellar Empire 8 Conference Tournament outings. Brantley was named the tournament's MVP after his explosive E8 Championship game where he poured in 28 points with six rebounds and four assists. The graduate student turned in a stellar second half where he poured in 18 points to lead the Pioneers to the Empire 8 Championship win. Over the course of the tournament he averaged 20 points per game with 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game and a 48.3 shooting percentage.
Thomas Morreale (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) was named to the All-Tournament team after his stellar playoff performances averaging 18.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1.5 steals while shooting a lights out 76.5 percent from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from deep. He was fantastic in the championship game pouring in 17 points with two rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and one steal while shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
Call that a Performance: Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) is also coming off a fantastic Empire 8 Tournament where he dropped 20 points with eight rebounds, three assists, and three blocks in the championship game. Call has been a force on both sides of the ball and his defense has been superb as of late recording a gaudy eight blocks and one steal over his last four outings while pouring in 63 points during that span.
Scouting Trinity: The NESCAC Champion Bantams enter the NCAA Tournament 26-1 overall and on a six-game winning streak. The team's lone loss of the year came at Williams College back on February 2 on a buzzer-beater. The team is led by the fantastic duo of Ben Callahan-Gold and Henry Vetter who each average at least 14.5 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, with at least 51 made three-pointers this season. Callahan-Gold is a premier defender with 37 blocks this season while Vetter has swiped 30 steals. Jarrel Okorougo is another reliable scorer averaging 11.4 points per game while averaging 5.9 rebounds per game. Dana Smith and Will Dorion round out the starters while each averaging at least 6.3 points per game.
About Va. Wesleyan: The Marlins sported a 19-8 record this season and fell to Hampden-Sydney College 63-52 in the ODAC Semifinals. The team earned an at-large bid as it has had wins over nationally ranked opponents such as Randolph-Macon, reigning champion Christopher Newport Shenandoah, and Guilford twice. Khai Seargeant is the team's top scorer averaging 11.7 points per game while extending the floor with 22 made three-pointers this season. The trio of Jordan Crump, Waylo Wilson, and Miles Wallace are reliable scoring options with each averaging at least 8.3 points per game. The team is stacked defensively with eight players swiping more than 15 steals and Wilson being a fierce interior presence with 40 rejections.
A Look at Swarthmore: The Garnets are headed to their seventh-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance after upsetting top-seeded Gettysburg and Johns Hopkins to win its second-straight Centennial Championship. The team is on fire winning 12 of its last 13 outings and is led by the fine scoring duo of Vinny DeAngelo and Michael Caprise who each average at least 15.3 points per game. DeAngelo is a sharpshooter canning 58 three-pointers this season at a 38 percent clip. Caprise is an inside scorer while also hauling in a team-leading 9.2 boards per game while also being a pesky defender with 35 steals and 15 blocks this season. Eddie Paquette, Cal Hanson, and Nyle Coleman being three more reliable scorers each averaging at least 6.3 points per game.
Up Next: A pair of wins this weekend would send the Pioneers to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history. Third and fourth round games are set to be played March 8-9.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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