The Pioneers jumped out to a quick 10-7 lead four minutes into the game, getting two quick lay-ups from senior Chris Bitetto (Island Trees/Levittown). The Tigers bounced back and capitalized on four straight Pioneer turnovers and took a 22-15 lead midway through the half after a pair of deep three-pointers from Barrett Zeinfeld (Catalina Foothills/Tucson, AZ) and Scott Young (Hornell/Almond).
Despite the Tigers’ half-court press, the Pioneers managed to make a run and close the deficit to 33-31 at the half. Doug Herring (Poughkeepsie/Poughkeepsie) and Jack Lighthall (Adirondack/Boonville) had eight points apiece at the half for the Pioneers. For the Tigers, Tim Bacon (Massena/Massena) and Barrett Zeinfeld each had six points.
The Pioneers struggled shooting the ball to open the second half, and the Tigers took a 42-34 lead three and a half minutes into the half. A 13-2 Pioneer run sparked by back-to-back three-pointers from freshman Patrick Goodman (Whitesboro/Marcy) and Ray Bryant (Manhattan Center/Utica) gave the Pioneers a 47-44 lead with 12:51 left to play. This was their first lead since midway through the first half.
After two Pioneer turnovers and a turn-around jumper from the baseline by Kenny Gethers (Bishop Grimes/Syracuse), the Tigers took the lead 51-49. However, Brian Collier (Norwich/Norwich) answered right away and hit a three-pointer with 7:46 left to give the Pioneers a 52-51 lead.
RIT regained the lead with just less than five minutes left after a pair of free throws from Barrett Zeinfeld. Gethers would add to the lead the following possession with a deep jumper, giving the Tigers a 57-54 lead.
With the Pioneers trailing by three with under a minute to go, they failed to convert on their next possession, and after Zeinfeld hit one of his two free throws, the Tigers led 62-58 with 48 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Patrick Goodman grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled, but could only connect on one of two free throws, bringing the score to 62-59 RIT.
Barrett Zeinfeld would hit four free throws down the stretch to seal the 66-61 victory for the Tigers. Zeinfeld finished with a game-high 17 points while shooting 9-for-10 from the line. Tim Bacon tallied 13 points while grabbing three rebounds for the Tigers.
Ray Bryant and Brian Collier each finished with a team-high 15 points on the night. Bryant also grabbed eight rebounds. Chris Bitetto had six points and eight rebounds.
With the win, RIT improves their record to 13-10 overall and 7-5 in the Empire 8.
With the loss, the Pioneers’ record falls to 18-4 overall and 10-2 in the Empire 8. The Pioneers return to action on Friday, February 16th at 8:00 p.m. when they travel to Empire 8 rival St. John Fisher College.
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Newspaper Box Score RIT vs Utica College 02/10/07 4 p.m. at Utica, NY (Clark Athletic Center) At Utica, NY (Clark Athletic Center) RIT 66, UTICA COLLEGE 61 RIT (13-10, 7-5 E8) Barrett Zeinfeld 3-7 9-10 17; Tim Bacon 4-7 5-6 13; Rick Whitwood 4-11 0-0 11; Kenny Gethers 5-7 0-0 10; Scott Young 2-3 0-0 5; Randy Muldrow 2-4 0-0 4; Jim Torto 1-1 0-0 2; Rob Hampton 1-7 0-0 2; Colin Roy 1-6 0-0 2; Mark Carson 0-2 0-1 0; Obinna Ukachukwu 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 23-57 14-17 66. UTICA COLLEGE (18-4, 10-2 E8) Brian Collier 5-12 1-2 15; Ray Bryant 3-11 7-8 15; Jack Lighthall 3-8 3-4 9; Doug Herring 2-10 2-2 8; Patrick Goodman 2-3 1-3 6; Chris Bitetto 2-7 2-3 6; Dennis Munch 1-2 0-0 2; Robert Whyte 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-54 16-22 61. RIT........................... 33 33 - 66 Utica College................. 31 30 - 61 3-point goals-RIT 6-16 (Rick Whitwood 3-5; Barrett Zeinfeld 2-6; Scott Young 1-2; Randy Muldrow 0-1; Rob Hampton 0-1; Colin Roy 0-1), Utica College 9-26 (Brian Collier 4-8; Doug Herring 2-9; Ray Bryant 2-5; Patrick Goodman 1-1; Dennis Munch 0-1; Chris Bitetto 0-1; Jack Lighthall 0-1). Fouled out--RIT-None, Utica College-Brian Collier. Rebounds-RIT 33 (Rick Whitwood 6), Utica College 41 (Ray Bryant 9). Assists-RIT 13 (Colin Roy 6), Utica College 16 (Doug Herring 4). Total fouls-RIT 18, Utica College 16. A-425