Fredonia, NY – Lateef Johnson Jr. has had some mightily impressive performances this season, but the junior had possibly the best single-game performance by a Roo in the D3-era with 36 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, and four steals, but his last-second shot was off target and the SUNY Canton men's basketball team dropped an 85-83 decision to the Fredonia Blue Devils Friday evening.   

THE BASICS

• Result: Fredonia 85, SUNY Canton 83
• Location: Dods Hall – Fredonia, NY
• Records: SUNY Canton (3-13, 2-7 SUNYAC) | Fredonia (2-13, 2-6 SUNYAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Fredonia made their first five field goal attempts and quickly opened a 12-5 lead over the Roos with 16:49 left to play.
• A 13-4 run from SUNY Canton ensued right after this with the Roos going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in this span with two of these cashed in by Edram Gbekou, and SUNY Canton was ahead 18-16 with just under 12 minutes left in the half.
• SUNY Canton was ahead by as much as six with Jahmai Francois putting in a shot from behind the arc to go out in front 34-28 with five minutes remaining.
• The Roos were up 42-38 at the break with Lateef Johnson Jr. registering 14 points halfway through.
• The Blue Devils scored 11 of the first 13 points of the second half and earned themselves a 49-44 advantage with 16:52 remaining.
• Lateef Johnson Jr. then put in seven points in a 1:15 span as the Roos regained the lead. A layup by Eugene Johnson Jr. with 8:02 left to play gave SUNY Canton a 71-68 lead, but unfortunately, this was the last time SUNY Canton was ahead in the game.
• Fredonia caught a hot hand in the second half, and did not miss open shots, shooting 6-for-10 from behind the arc in the second half.
• The Blue Devils had the ball up 82-77 with 36 seconds left but committed a turnover in the backcourt. Lateef Johnson Jr. had a hoop and the harm on the resulting possession and completed the three-point play.
• Forced to foul, the Blue Devils cashed in twice from the line but Bryon Streb knocked down a three with 11 seconds left to bring the game to within 84-83.
• Fredonia went 1-for-2 at the line on the other end with under five seconds left, and Lateef Johnson Jr. looked to add some more points to add to his historic night. However, there was not enough time left on the clock to get a good look, and the junior was forced into a wild runner from beyond the arc that was a little too long as the Blue Devils fended off the Roos.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• In addition to Lateef Johnson Jr., Jordan Sidle made the most of his minutes including 10 points, 18 minutes, and four assists, all of which were career-highs for the freshman.
• Other key performers for the Roos included Jahdeuir Reese with nine points, five assists, and four steals and Gbekou with eight points.
• Fredonia was sharing the wealth with five players between 13 and 16 points, led by Stevie Williams and Brian Kopp with 16 apiece.
• The Blue Devils were extremely efficient shooting-wise at 56% (29-52) and were 9-for-17 from the arc. The Roos were a solid 46% (31-67), and 7-for-23 from the three-point line. SUNY Canton set a season best in assists with 20, beating the previous best mark of 15 by quite a bit.

PERFORMANCE TO REMEMBER

• Lateef Johnson Jr. made some entries in the D3-era record book, including:
  • 2^nd-most points in a game with 36; only behind Sam Annorh who scored 37 against D'Youville (11/27/16) 
  • Most field goals made in a game with 14 (tied for 2^nd-most attempted with 25)
  • Tie  8^th-most rebounds in a game with 18; his 23-rebound performance against Oneonta (1/6/26) was the 2^nd-most all time (24 is the record)

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Roos will have another chance to get back in the win column tomorrow, January 24, against Buffalo State at 4 p.m.
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