Canton, NY – The SUNY Canton men's basketball team closed the final five minutes of the contest on an 18-2 run to earn a 78-71 victory against visiting Clarkson University on Thursday evening in the Roos House.

Trailing 69-60 with 5:12 remaining the Roos (5-0) used full court pressure to force the Golden Knights (3-6) into numerous turnovers and finished buckets in transition. SUNY Canton played stifling defense down the stretch as Felix Abongo's made jumper with 3:27 remaining served as Clarkson's only points over the final minutes of the contest. Junior Sam Annorh (Queens, NY) recorded eight points in the closing stretch including a pair of three-pointers.

Clarkson led by as many as seven in the opening half before the Roos trimmed the deficit to 34-31 at the break. The Golden Knights led throughout the second half until SUNY Canton's strong closing run.

Annorh posted a team-high 18 points including hitting on eight of his 11 free throw attempts. Romario Fletcher (Queens, NY) tallied 14 points and seven rebounds and Khalil Bratton (Queens, NY) added 12 in the scoring column. Vonallen Pickett (Brooklyn, NY) and Kam Peterkin (Harlem, NY) netted 10 points apiece as the Roos placed five players in double figures.

Felix Abongo led all players with 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Knights, while Derek Hart and Tom Nuttle chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively. Clarkson shot 52 percent from the field and 43 percent from long distance, but committed 19 turnovers compared to just seven for SUNY Canton.

The Roos held advantages in points off turnovers (26-3), bench points (26-18), points in the paint (44-32) and fast break points (12-0).

The men's basketball team has a quick turnaround as they will travel to take on Houghton College on Saturday at 4 p.m. 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 10 exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The college's 14 athletic teams compete as members of the NCAA Division III and the USCAA.
 

-www.rooathletics.com-