BOX SCORE

Utica, N.Y. (12/7/2010) – The Utica College men's basketball team shot 52 percent from the floor in the second half and battled from an eight point deficit with 12:05 to go to earn a 71-64 victory over visiting Cortland State Tuesday afternoon at the Clark Athletic Center. Utica, winners of three in a row, improved to 6-1 overall with the victory.

Senior swingman Will Abrams led the way for Utica with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while senior forward Robert Whyte added 13 points, on 5-of-6 shooting, off the bench. Senior guard James Patterson totaled 12 points, six rebounds and two steals, while sophomore guard Kevin Johnson posted nine points, eight assists, five rebounds and four steals.

Dustin Marshall netted a game-high 25 points and added ten rebounds for the visitors. Jesse Winter scored 16 off the bench for the Red Dragons.

UC jumped out to an early six point lead, 10-4, 6:45 into the contest, before Cortland went on a 17-4 run in a span of 6:15 to take a 21-14 lead with seven minutes to go before the half. Cortland extended that lead to as many as 13 points with 1:24 to go in the first half but UC used an 8-2 run in the final minute to cut the Red Dragon lead to 38-31 at the half.

The second half proved to be a much different story as the Pioneers held the visitors to just seven points off turnovers, six points in the paint and Cortland got just five points from its bench in the final 20 minutes compared to 21 in the first half.

Cortland led by as many as eight with 12:05 to go but UC held Cortland to just eight points in the final 12 minutes and scored 23 points of their own to earn the seven point victory. Patterson scored nine of his 12 points in the final nine minutes to pace Utica to a key non conference victory.

The Pioneers return to the hardwood on Friday night when they open up Empire 8 Conference play against Stevens Institute of Technology at 8 p.m.

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