Utica, NY – Jevonte Williams and Moe Biao recorded 23 points each, but the SUNY Canton men's basketball team fell late in their North Atlantic Conference (NAC) opener at SUNY Poly on Friday evening.

THE BASICS

• Result: SUNY Poly 78, SUNY Canton 73 
• Location: Campus Center Gym – Utica, NY
• Records: SUNY Poly (3-4, 1-1 NAC) | SUNY Canton (3-6, 0-1 NAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Roos jumped out to an early 13-7 lead five minutes into the game. Canton extended their advantage to as many as 12 (27-15), their largest of the game, with 9:05 left in the opening half after a Bryon Streb layup.
• The Wildcats used an 18-5 run to briefly take a 33-32 lead before Canton closed the half on a 5-2 run to take a 37-35 lead into intermission.
• Neither team led by more than four in the first 12 minutes of the second half. The Wildcats held a seven point lead on multiple occasions in the closing minutes leading by as many as eight with 2:37 remaining.
• Canton trimmed the deficit to three with 1:44 remaining after a Williams three and Biao layup. Poly went 14-for-16 from the line in the final 2:37 to secure the five point win.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Williams and Biao led the Roos with 23 points and five rebounds each. Biao shot 10-for-15 from the field, while Williams was 6-for-12 from the field, 3-for-4 from behind the arc and 8-for-8 from the line. Streb and Kevin Goode Jr. supplied 10 points each while combining for 10 rebounds.
• Cheickne Toure paced Poly with a game-high 33 points shooting 18-for-20 from the free throw line. Anthony Rose (18) and Dylan Ernst (10) also scored in double figures.
• The Roos shot over 42% from the field and nearly 39% from three-point range, while Poly finished with marks of 39% and 30%, respectively. The Wildcats went 30-for-38 from the line, while Canton was 16-for-24.
• Canton had the upper hand in bench points (33-7) and points in the paint (36-24), while Poly controlled fast break points (32-16).

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
The men's basketball team has a quick turnaround as they visit Eastern Nazarene College on Saturday at 3 p.m.
   
About SUNY Canton
As Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs, SUNY Canton delivers quality hands-on programs in digital design, engineering technology, health, management and public service. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. As SUNY's leader in online education, SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 23 online degree programs. The college placed first in 14 categories in a SUNY-Wide Student Opinion Survey, most notably in career services, tutoring, library resources, and classroom facilities. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos 15 traditional athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level as part of the North Atlantic Conference. SUNY Canton also features varsity esports and cheerleading.