No. 2 seed Pioneers defeated the No. 4 seed Wildcats in battle of Utica; Utica University to find NCAA Tournament opponent at noon Monday
The No. 2 seed Utica Pioneers hosted the 2025 Empire 8 Tournament Championship game this weekend, against cross-town rival, fourth-seeded SUNY Poly, in hopes of becoming back-to-back Empire 8 Tournament Champions. They did just that as an offensive team-effort brought the team to a 89-76 victory. Utica improved to 21-7 this season and earned the Empire 8 Conference automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament.
Damien Call (6'4''-F) had a big day, scoring 18 points to go along with three rebounds. His scoring was dynamic as he was able to finish several contested shots throughout the night on his way to earning Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship Tournanent Most Valuable Player honors.
Liam Teague (6'7''-F) was also a key factor, scoring 18 points and logging a staggering eight rebounds. Teague didn't just score; he also was a driving force defensively with four blocks on the night. Dayion Thompson (6'1''-G) also had himself an 18-point game, shooting 50 percent from the field and hitting two 3-point shots.
As a team, the Pioneers shot 53 percent from the field, compared to the Wildcats 44 percent. Utica also had Poly beat in rebounds, grabbing a total of 38 boards.
The Pioneers are set to make their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance and won their third E8 title in the last five seasons.
Poly, in its first season in the Empire 8, made a strong run to the title game as the No. 4 seed. finishing with an 18-10 record. Senior Cheickne Toure led the Wildcats with a game-high 25 points, while Kamryn Comstock (6'4''-F) added a double-double with 11 points and 12 boards.
The Wildcats opened up scoring just 20 seconds into the game as Kamryn Comstock got the ball in the paint for an easy layup. The Pioneers were quick to answer as Dayion Thompson drove to the paint and finished the contested layup. After five minutes of back-and-forth scoring, Utica's Hagen Foley (6'3''-F) was able to get the ball in the post and hit the turnaround jumper giving Utica a 16-14 lead with 15 minutes to go in the half. With 12 minutes to go, Liam Teague found the ball in the paint and lost his defender with a step-back and was able to score the tough shot giving the Pioneers a five-point lead.
With just under seven minutes to go in the half, Jordan Cain (6'1''-G) had his third steal of the night and took it coast to coast scoring the transition basket putting the Pioneers in the lead 36-30. With just under two minutes to go, Teague had the ball on the wing, was able to beat his defender and drive to the basket for a dunk, giving the pioneers momentum for the rest of the half. Thompson was next to score with a quick crossover and jump shot for two, giving Utica a 51-37 lead.
With time winding down, SUNY Poly missed a shot from beyond the arc, Utica's Isaiah Smith (5'10''-PG) grabbed the board and took the ball to the other end, scoring and drawing the foul with one second left on the clock. The Wildcats Cheickne Toure led the team in scoring with 16 points in the first half. The Pioneers were led by Damien Call who had 12 points shooting 66 percent from the field. Cain finished the half with 11 points and three steals. Teague and Thompson both made an impact offensively scoring 10 points each. The Pioneers shot well this half, shooting 68 percent from the field and going a perfect 9-9 from the line. Thanks to Utica's consistent shooting and aggressive defensive play, the half ended 56-37 in favor of the Pioneers.
To start off the second half, both teams came out slowly with a turnover from the Pioneers and a missed three-pointer from Poly. Call broke the scoring drought as he was able to drive to the paint and score the contested layup, drawing the foul. He missed the free throw giving the Pioneers a 58-37 lead with 19 minutes to go in the half. Wildcat's Anthony Rose (6'5''-G/F) was able to win back some momentum when he managed to get by his defender with a spin move and score, drawing the foul. He converted on the free-throw, closing the gap to 15 points.
With just under 15 minutes to go, Ben Whittman found the ball and the wing, and with a quick first step he drove to the rim scoring and drawing the foul, he converted on the free-throw as well. Rose had another big play for the Pioneers as he drove in from the wing and finished a slam dunk over his defender with ten minutes left in the half. With just over three minutes to go, Thompson was able to beat his defender and dish it to Teague, Teague was able to score the contested shot and draw the foul giving the Pioneers a 12-point lead.
The game ended 89-76 in favor of Utica, making the Pioneers back-to-back Empire 8 Tournament Champions.

Empire8 Final:
Utica - SUNY Poly 89-76

Empire8 Semifinals:
SUNY Brockport - SUNY Poly 89-92
Utica - Nazareth 85-79

Empire8 Quarterfinals:
SUNY Brockport - SUNY Geneseo 87-66
Utica - Houghton 80-68
Nazareth - Russell Sage 73-65
SUNY Poly - Alfred 66-65

Courtesy of empire8.com