HOUGHTON, N.Y.— The Highlanders stayed on the heels of the Utica College Pioneers in Saturday afternoon's game. Regardless of displaying competitive shooting percentages to that of the Pioneers, Houghton would give Utica the 87-80 victory.
The Highlanders took initiative early in the game by taking an 8-0 lead. While the head start for Houghton looked promising, Utica followed by scoring an impressive 21 points without interruption.
Jordan Scott (Burlington, ON, Canada, Notre Dame Secondary),
Brandon Camacho (Dundee, NY, Dundee High School), and
Phil Pellegrino (Rochester, NY, Brighton) put a halt to the Pioneers' rally by working together to earn 10 consecutively combined points in 2 minutes.
With 8:20 remaining in the half and a 3 point Utica lead, the two teams took turns scoring. Scott and Camacho were not only responsible for back-to-back Highlander layups, but also back-to-back Highlander 3-point shots. Houghton found themselves down 35-30 with just over 4 minutes left in the half. As the two teams battled, the first period closed with a 3-point, 40-37, Houghton deficit.
The second half started with a 9-8 Highlander run-lead. While Houghton closed in on the Pioneers, minimizing the gap to 2, Utica rallied 8 points. Pellegrino's 3-pointer helped interrupt their scoring spree. However, through proper free throw execution, the Pioneers managed to take an 11 point lead. Utica continued to push forward and found themselves with the biggest lead of the game thus far--16 points.
Down 81-65 with just over 2 minutes left on the clock, Houghton's Scott would come up big with two 3-pointers. Camacho would also contribute with a 3-pointer of his own at the buzzer beater. Regardless of their efforts, the Highlander fell short 87-80.
Scott was credited with 21 points on the night while going 5-10 at the 3-point arc. Camacho earned 17 points and 2 steals while going 3-7 at the 3-point arc and 4-6 at the free throw line. Pellegrino followed with 10 points.
The Highlanders will play their last game of the season on Tuesday (2/17) at home against Elmira College with a start time of 8:00 p.m.
