Canton, NY – The SUNY Canton men's basketball team used strong interior passing and a dominating performance on the glass as they led from start to finish defeating visiting Utica College, 78-67, on Friday evening. The Roos (4-2) held a 48-27 rebounding advantage against the Pioneers (2-5).
The hosts finished the contest with 22 offensive rebounds which led to 13 second chance points. Sam Annorh (Queens, NY) led the way offensively with 25 points, three assists and two steals while going 7-for-8 from the free throw line. Romario Fletcher (Queens, NY) and Kam Peterkin (Harlem, NY) finished with 10 points apiece, while Tyler Ellison(New York, NY) added nine points and seven rebounds.
Center Matt Spencer (Gouverneur, NY) had his best game of the season posting eight points, three rebounds and a game-high five blocks. He shot 4-for-4 from the field in just 14 minutes. Adam Felt (Lisbon, NY) proved key knocking down two three-pointers in the opening half, while Khalil Bratton (Queens, NY) registered game-bests of 12 rebounds and five assists.
SUNY Canton scored the first seven points of the contest as Annorh converted a lay-up just five seconds in after the Roos won the opening tip. A trey from Felt followed and then Bratton hit Spencer with a nice bounce pass for a bucket in the paint.
After an early eight point lead for the Roos the visitors trimmed the deficit to two after a Conor Maisch triple in transition. SUNY Canton responded with methodical offensive sets that used quick and precision passing to penetrate the Pioneer defense. The Roos led by as many as 13 in the opening half as they took a 40-32 lead into intermission.
SUNY Canton scored the opening two baskets of the second half and held a double digit lead the remainder of the half with their lead ballooning to as many as 19 en route to the victory. Maisch led all scorers with 26 points for the Pioneers, while Aaron Nevins added 10.
Both teams were dominate inside as they combined to score 82 points in the paint. The Roos received five more points off the bench, while Utica held a 24-12 edge in fast break points.
The Roos will host their second game in as many days on Saturday when they square off with Houghton College at 6:00 p.m. in the Roos House. Stay up to date with the latest news directly from the SUNY Canton Athletics department by "liking" us on Facebook and "following" our Twitter, Instagram and YouTube accounts.
About SUNY Canton
SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management and public service. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as eight exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The college's 14 athletic teams compete as provisional members of the NCAA Division III and the USCAA.