Buffalo, NY – Romario Fletcher scored back-to-back buckets in the final 40 seconds but a pair of late free throws lifted host Villa Maria College to an 82-80 win on Friday evening.

Dominic Douglas hit a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining after Canton was whistled for a late foul to clinch the two-point victory for the Vikings (11-9).

Trailing by nine points with 4:09 remaining the Roos (10-8) rattled off seven consecutive points on a pair of buckets inside from Fletcher and Rashad Richardson and a Sam Annorh three-pointer to get within 75-73 with 1:43 remaining. The Vikings then re-gained the four-point advantage with 49 seconds remaining after a pair of Eric Waters free throws.

Canton jumped out to a 23-14 lead nine minutes into the contest, their largest of the game, after a Tayor Ashby hit from downtown. Villa Maria chipped away at the deficit taking a two-point lead at 38-36 before the teams headed to the locker rooms tied at 40.

"Tough loss for our team tonight on the road," Head Coach Ben Thompson said. "Thankfully, we have the opportunity to regroup and play again tomorrow against another good team."

Annorh led all players with 30 points and nine assists, while Fletcher added 26 points and eight rebounds. Ashby chipped in eight points hitting both of his attempts from behind the arc and Richardson posted seven points and 12 rebounds. Walt Jeter also tied a game-high with 12 boards.

Gerald Bibbs paced the Vikings with 29 points and 12 rebounds, while Waters (19) and Justin Stokes (10) also recorded double figures.

The men's basketball team will visit SUNY Delhi 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 15 athletic teams compete as members of the NCAA Division III and the USCAA.