Men's Basketball | 2/26/2025 9:46:45 PM
No. 2 seed Utica University (20-7) and No. 4 SUNY Poly (18-9) advanced to the 2025 Empire 8 Men's Basketball Tournament Championship game after earning semifinal victories on Wednesday, February 26. Utica defeated No. 3 Nazareth University, 85-79 in the one semifinal, while SUNY Poly rallied to defeat top-seed SUNY Brockport, 92-89.
Utica and Poly will meet at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 1 for the Empire 8 Championship, with the winner earning an automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament, which begins March 7-8. Poly is in its first season as an Empire 8 member, while Utica is looking to win its third E8 title in the last five seasons. The Pioneers are in the title game for the fourth time since 2021.
Utica and Poly split the regular season series, with each team winning on the road. Poly won 92-76 at Miga Court at Clark Gym on Jan. 28, while Utica responded by winning by a score of 80-71 at Poly on Feb. 18.
NO. 4 SUNY POLY 92, NO. 1 SUNY BROCKPORT 89
SUNY Poly outscored SUNY Brockport, 49-41 in the second half to knock off the top-seed, 92-89. Poly moved to 18-9, while Brockport fell to 17-10.
Brockport came out strong, with Alex Tavarez setting the tone by scoring the first two buckets of the game. After a slow start, Anthony Rose got the Wildcats on the board with a tough layup, but Brockport's Zachary Rice answered with a three-pointer to extend the early lead.
Despite missed opportunities at the free-throw line, Toure and Rose kept SUNY Poly in striking distance, attacking the paint and making key stops on defense. A strong inside presence from Tavarez helped Brockport maintain control, but the Wildcats continued to battle.
As the first half wound down, SUNY Poly's resilience was on full display. Toure's fast-break layup and a clutch jumper from Rose chipped away at the deficit, but Brockport still held a 5-point lead heading into the break.
The momentum shifted in the second half, thanks to Kamryn Comstock, who dominated both ends of the floor. A tip-in and a 3-pointer from Comstock kept the Wildcats within reach, but Brockport's Jacob Oka responded with free throws to maintain the advantage.
Each time Brockport tried to pull away, SUNY Poly had an answer. Comstock, Elijah Smith, and Daimarr Miller delivered crucial plays, closing the gap. Miller's layup at the 12-minute mark gave the Wildcats their first lead of the second half, 69-67.
The teams continued to trade blows down the stretch. Brockport leaned on Mekhi Beckett and Colby Jordan, while SUNY Poly's trio of Miller, Toure, and Comstock made clutch plays to keep their team in front.
With under three minutes remaining, Comstock's relentless effort on the offensive glass led to key second-chance points, giving SUNY Poly an 86-83 advantage. A final defensive stand in the closing seconds sealed the dramatic 92-89 comeback victory.
Comstock finished with 25 points and 11 boards, while Toure had 23 points, 10 assists and six assists, while Rose had 23 points and 17 boards.
NO. 2 UTICA 85, NO. 3 NAZARETH 79
With the game tied at 32-32 at haftime, Utica used a potent offensive attack to take control, building a 14-point lead before holding on to defeat Nazareth, 85-79 and advance to its fourth E8 title game in the last five seasons. Utica improved to 20-7 with the win, while Nazareth fell to 17-10.
Liam Teague (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) finished the night with a career high 22 points. He shot 64 percent from the field and registered nine rebounds with two assists. Devon Flynn (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) also had a night to remember, scoring his new career-high of 16 points. Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) was efficient on both ends of the court as he scored seven points, logged seven assists and ten rebounds. Jordan Cain (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) was a key factor in Utica's offense as he scored 14 points, with 12 of them coming from beyond the arc, he shot 80 percent from three.
As a team, the Pioneers shot 50 percent from the field compared to the Golden Flyers 40 percent. Utica shot 30 percent from deep and registered 39 total rebounds.
Jaylen Savage led all scorers with 28 points, seven boards and three steals, while Solomon McFarlane added 26 points, draining four 3-pointers, while shooting 10-for-11 from the foul line.
2024-25 Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship Schedule
Saturday, February 22 – First Round (All games at Higher Seed)
No. 1 SUNY Brockport defeated No. 8 SUNY Geneseo, 87-66 – BOX SCORE
No. 2 Utica defeated No. 7 Houghton, 80-68 – BOX SCORE
No. 3 Nazareth defeated No. 6 Russell Sage, 73-65 – BOX SCORE
No. 4 SUNY Poly defeated No. 5 Alfred, 66-65 – BOX SCORE
Wednesday, February 26 – Semifinals (All games at Higher Seed)
No. 4 SUNY Poly defeated at No. 1 SUNY Brockport , 92-89 – BOX SCORE
No. 2 Utica defeated No. 3 Nazareth, 85-79 – BOX SCORE
Saturday, March 1 - Championship Final (at Highest Remaining Seed)
No. 3 SUNY Poly at No. 2 Utica – 3 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
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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