UTICA, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly men's basketball team lost to Utica University on Monday night 71-56 in a non-conference matchup between the cross-town rivals. The Wildcats were led by LJ Randle, who ended up tying his career-high with 18 points. Luke Bourgault had a team-high 21 points for the Pioneers. With the loss, the Wildcats move to 2-3 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Pioneers would score the first bucket of the game and never look back on Monday evening. After an Anthony Rose jump shot to tie the game at 2-2, the Pioneers would maintain the lead for the remainder of the game. Strong shooting performances from Luke Bourgault and Justice Brantley would pace the Pioneers, who move to 3-1 on the season. Brantley would also grab a team-high 8 rebounds for the Pioneers.
For the Wildcats, LJ Randle would finish with 18 points on 7-10 shooting, including 3-4 from behind the three-point arc. Cheickne Toure would be the other Wildcat to finish in double digits, finishing with 12 points.
UP NEXT: The Wildcats will be back in action on Tuesday, November 28th when they head to SUNY Morrisville for their first North Atlantic Conference game. The game is scheduled to start at 5:30 PM.