UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's basketball team defeated the Alfred University Saxons 73-59 on Saturday afternoon for the team's fifth straight win, also moving the team to a perfect 7-0 mark to begin Empire 8 play. 

Darius Hopkins led all scorers with 23 points coming from 7-of-16 shooting from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Luke Bourgault (14), Thomas Morreale (13) and Justice Brantley all finished in double figures as well while Brantley also finished one rebound shy of a double-double with a team-high nine. Damien Call and Griffin Barasa also had over five rebounds for Utica, each totaling six. 

Barasa put together a solid defensive performance all together as the sophomore recorded four steals to go with a block. Morreale also added a pair of steals and blocks each to his stat line. 

The Pioneers jumped out to an early 10-6 lead thanks to six quick points by Avery Coston. Alfred would eventually poke away and even the score at 12-12 as well as 16-16 as the teams remained neck-and-neck over the first 12 minutes of play. 

Morreale gave the team a spark following the Saxons tying the score at 16. The senior put in a layup, drove the lane for a dunk and knocked down a quick jumper over three straight possessions to put the Pioneers back up by six. Utica went on to eventually carry a 30-21 lead into the break. 

Throughout the early goings of the second half, the Saxons did anything but shy away. Utica's nine point advantage ultimately became one with a 42-41 score with 11:12 to go. That's where Bourgault made his presence felt. 

Over a two minute span, the junior recorded the Pioneers' next nine points on back-to-back-to-back made three's, giving the team a 10 point cushion and forcing Alfred into a timeout. 

From that point, the Saxons could not recover. Over the final 7:30 of play, the Pioneers kept at least an eight point lead before eventually coming out on top by 14. 

Utica only trailed for 42 seconds throughout the entire game in large part due to holding Alfred to 14.3 percent (3-21) from beyond the arc. 

As a team, the Pioneers shot 47.4 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three. The team also forced 14 Saxon turnovers which led to 14 points. 

Utica (12-2, 7-0 Empire 8) will return to action on Friday, January 20 when the team travels to Houghton University. Tip-off from Houghton, NY is set for 7:30 p.m.