Cobleskill, NY – Sierra Pabo recorded a game-high 23 points, Marijke Kroon recorded her first career double-double with career-highs in points and rebounds, and Samantha Dayter dished out a career-best 10 assists as the SUNY Canton women's basketball team earned an 81-57 win against Eastern Nazarene in a NAC quarterfinal game on Friday evening.

The Roos will square off with NAC West top seed and host SUNY Cobleskill in a NAC semifinal game on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Iorio Gymnasium. The Fighting Tigers defeated SUNY Morrisville 68-43 in Friday's first NAC quarterfinal game.  

THE BASICS

• Result: SUNY Canton 81, Eastern Nazarene 57
• Location: Iorio Gymnasium – Cobleskill, NY
• Records: SUNY Canton (21-5) | Eastern Nazarene (12-12)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The scoring was at a premium early on as the teams were tied at six just over midway through the opening quarter. Both teams picked up offensively over the next five minutes as the Roos held a slim 17-15 lead after the opening quarter.
• Canton took control of the game using a 14-0 run over a nearly six minute stretch in the second quarter to take a 34-19 lead with 2:23 left in the first half. Pabo scored 10 points in the decisive run as the Roos led 39-26 at intermission.
• Pabo led all players with 18 points and six rebounds in the first half shooting 7-for-9 from the field. Sabanna Berrios paced the Lions with 12 points.
• Canton carried over their momentum from the second quarter to the third outscoring Eastern Nazarene 24-13 in the stanza to take a commanding 63-39 lead to the fourth.
• The Lions never got closer than 22 in the fourth quarter as the Roos lead ballooned to as many as 27 in the victory.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Pabo led all players with 23 points and added nine rebounds and three assists shooting 9-for-12 from the field and 2-for-2 from three-point range. Jayda Pina tallied 13 points and Kroon finished with career-highs of 12 points and 12 rebounds for her first career double-double on 4-for-7 shooting. Hope Aniceto chipped in 11 points and Dayter dished out a career-best 10 assists to go with seven rebounds and five points. Abby Hart also chipped in eight points in 13 minutes off the bench.
• The 10 assists by Dayter are the most in a single game for the Roos since Taylor Saltus dished out 12 against Morrisville on January 14, 2017.
• Berrios led ENC with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Alexandria Paquet tallied 14 points.
• Canton shot nearly 46% from the field and over 36% from three while holding the Lions to marks of 30% and 10%, respectively.
• The Roos controlled rebounds (57-39), bench points (27-15), second chance points (17-11), points in the paint (38-32), points off turnovers (16-11) and fast break points (15-10).

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Roos will square off with host SUNY Cobleskill on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Iorio Gymnasium. The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the NAC Championship game Saturday, February 24th hosted by the advancing team from the NAC East.
   
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.