UTICA, N.Y. – Thomas Morreale guided the host Utica College Pioneers (4-1) past the Houghton Highlanders (1-5) on Saturday afternoon, scoring a game-high 20 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
 
Utica led by as many as 15 in the first half, but the Highlanders began to chip away late.  Jordan Holmes hit five straight free throws and Jarret McCarley nailed a three to trim the deficit to seven points with 4:19 to play before the half. 
 
While the Pioneers would again tack on to that lead, Houghton trimmed it to only seven just before the break on a jumper by Brijon Warren.
 
After playing evenly through the opening minutes of the second half, Utica began to pull away at the midway mark and Houghton remained unable to close the gap.
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 63 | Utica – 81
Records: Houghton: 1-5 (1-5 Empire 8) | Utica: 4-1 (3-1 Empire 8)
Venue: Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium, Utica College| Attendance: 0
 
KEY STATS
>> Utica outshot the Highlanders, overall, 49%-to-37%, but shot an impressive 12-for-25 (48%) from beyond the arc, while Houghton converted only 6-of-29 (21%) shots from the same range.
 
>> Houghton sank a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line.
 
>> McCarley scored a career high 14 points while teammates Jajuan Preaster and Billy McCrae added 13 points apiece.
 
>> Jordan Holmes scored 11 points for the Highlanders, giving him 987 points for his career.
 
>> Avery Coston and Darius Hopkins added 15 and 12 points apiece for the Pioneers, respectively.
 
UP NEXT
Houghton travels to Rochester on Tuesday, March 23^rd for a rematch with the St. John Fisher Cardinals at 7:00 p.m.  In their first matchup of the season, the Cardinals defeated the Highlanders at the Nielsen Center, 89-56.