Rochester, N.Y. – November 14, 2025 – Utica University held off a second half rally by the Springfield College men's basketball team and defeated by the Pride by a score of 76-69 in the opening game of the 2025 Chuck Resler Tournament at the Palestra on the campus of the University of Rochester on Friday afternoon.

Utica improved to 2-0 and will take on the winner of Rochester/Buffalo State game tomorrow 6:00 pm, while Springfield dropped to 0-2 and will play the loser of the aforementioned game at 1:00 pm in the consolation round.

Josiah Evely (Toronto, Ontario) and Josh Hartley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led Springfield with 17 points apiece as Evely added four rebounds, three steals, and an assist, while Hartley stuffed the stat sheet with nine boards, three blocks and an assist. Zachary Campbell (Philadelphia, Pa.) notched 14 points, three rebounds and an assist and John Paulino (New Bedford, Mass.) posted a team-best seven helpers in the setback. Utica was led by Jordan Cain, who sank 21 points and picked up nine rebounds for the Pioneers.

Springfield knocked down just one of its first seven shots on the afternoon as Utica raced out to a 12-2 advantage over the opening minutes of the game. A trey by Evely cut Utica's run, but the Pioneers were able to maintain its edge at 18-7 at the second media timeout. Utica shot at a 57-percent from the floor over the first eight minutes of the game and eventually led by as many as 13 the first half taking an eventual 39-28 lead into the halftime break. Utica held Springfield to just eight made field goals over the first 20 minutes of play, while the Pioneers were able to drain 15-of-33 shots from the floor before the break.

Springfield came out firing in the second and scored the first ten points of the half with Campbell leading the way with four points to pull within one at 39-38. Utica pushed its lead back out to eight at 49-41 before another lengthy run – this time 10-2 in a span of 2:22 that was emphasized by a dunk from Hartley – tied the score at 51. Both teams traded basked until a layup from Ryan McCardle gave Utica a 59-57 lead – a lead the Pioneers would not relinquish en route to the 76-69 final.

As a team, Springfield shot 39.7-percent from the floor (25-for-63), 20.0-percent (4-for-20) from three-point range and 75.0-percent (15-for-20) from the charity stripe. Springfield made a strong effort in the second half sinking 17-of-32 shots from the floor at a 53.1-percent clip. The Pride also held a decisive 43-33 differential on the glass including a 16-7 margin on offensive boards, scored 40 points in the paint and turned 13 Utica turnovers into 16 points.

Sign up for free today to receive the latest news about your favorite Springfield College Athletics program directly to your email here. 

For the latest on Springfield College Athletics, follow the Pride on social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Be sure to tune into all Springfield College Athletic events by subscribing to FloSports.