MARCY, N.Y. – The SUNYIT Men's Basketball Team (2-0, 1-0 NEAC) connected on 58% of their shots in a 90-80 win over cross-town rival Utica College on Sunday. The Wildcats also knocked down 10 of 20 from behind the arc in the game, helping them stay ahead of a Pioneer team that was almost equally hot from the floor (51% FG's, 46% 3-pt FG's).

SUNYIT junior point-guard Maverick Hodge (Bronx, N.Y. / Samuel Gompers) led all scorers on the day with 23 points, submitting a fantastic overall performance. Hodge was deadly from the floor, making 11 of his 12 field goal attempts while also recording game-highs of 6 assists and 7 steals.

With just over ten minutes to go in the game, the Wildcats held a 61-59 lead over the visiting Pioneers. At that point, Ryan James (Saratoga Springs, N.Y. / Saratoga Springs) found Alexander Drake (West Sand Lake, N.Y. / Lansingburgh) for a three-pointer to put SUNYIT back up by five. The Pioneers would get no closer than that the rest of the way, as the Wildcats continued to make shots down the stretch to secure a ten-point victory.

Drake finished the game 4-of-8 from three-point range, good for 20 points in his 30 minutes of play, and SUNYIT put four players in double-figures on the game. In addition to Hodge and Drake, Ryan James contributed 10 points and sophomore Alonzo Grainger (Syracuse, N.Y. / Liverpool) had a huge game of the bench, scoring 17 points in just 17 minutes of play.

On the other side of the ball, point guard Aaron Nevins led the Pioneers with 21 points on 7-of-12 from the floor, while Chris Jeffers added 18 points and 8 rebounds.

Despite allowing the Pioneers to shoot a high percentage from the floor, the Wildcats were able to force 20 Utica turnovers, as SUNYIT recorded 13 steals. The turnover differential helped SUNYIT make up for a minus-10 rebounding margin (although power forward Kaleel Johnson (Syracuse, N.Y. / Syr. Acad. of Science) helped pick up the slack for SUNYIT, grabbing a game-high 9 boards). The Wildcats capitalized off those turnovers, too, holding a 10-point advantage on fast-break points.

 The Wildcats will look to stay perfect as they hit the road for a Tuesday match up with NEAC foe Cazenovia. Game time is slated for 5:00 pm.