Johnson, VT – The SUNY Canton men's basketball team overcame a double-digit deficit with eight minutes left in regulation to earn an 89-85 OT win at VTSU Johnson in a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) game on Friday evening.

THE BASICS

• Result: SUNY Canton 89, VTSU Johnson 85 (1 OT)   
• Location: Carter Varsity Gym – Johnson, VT
• Records: SUNY Canton (6-10, 2-3 NAC) | VTSU Johnson (1-12, 0-5 NAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Johnson jumped out to an early 10-2 lead less than three minutes into the contest. The host Badgers would extend their lead to 20 (36-16) with 8:22 to go in the first after a Mohammed Semega jumper.
• Canton chipped away at the deficit trimming the Johnson lead to 49-36 at intermission. The Badgers shot over 46% from the field and nearly 55% from three in the first half.
• Semega posted 17 first-half points for Johnson, while Brennan Harmer and Eli Larson had eight each for Canton.
• Johnson led by as many as 12 early in the second half and still held an 11 point lead (71-60) with 8:09 remaining in regulation. The Roos used an 18-7 run to knot things up at 78 apiece after a Jevonte Williams layup with 1:22 to play.
• Maleek View knocked down a pair of free throws, but Williams answered with another bucket to tie things again at 80 with 52 seconds left in regulation.  Neither team was able to break the tie late as they headed to OT.
• Canton outscored the Badgers 9-5 in the extra session as Williams and Moe Biao combined for seven in the period for the victory.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Williams recorded a game-high 21 points adding five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Biao tallied his first career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Harmer chipped in 12 points and game-highs of five assists and four steals knocking down three of his six threes. Larson totaled 12 points and eight rebounds, Bryon Streb added nine points, and Terrence Fields chipped in eight.
• Semega paced the Badgers with 20 points, while View finished with 18. Nazir Gossette (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Raymond Baka (13 points, 14 rebounds) both registered double-doubles for the hosts.
• Johnson dominated the glass 59-42 which led to a 21-7 second chance points edge. Canton had the upper hand in bench points (32-20), fast break points (28-18), points in the paint (50-42) and points off turnovers (14-9).

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
The men's basketball team is back in NAC action next Friday (1/12) when they host Maine Presque Isle at 1 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.