Canton, NY – Lateef Johnson Jr. continued his strong season with a 23-point, 12-rebound double-double but the first place Cortland Red Dragons were too much for the SUNY Canton men's basketball team, and the Roos fell 86-63 at home Friday night.

THE BASICS

• Result: Cortland 86, SUNY Canton 63
• Location: Stan Cohen Court – Canton, NY
• Records: SUNY Canton (4-18, 3-12 SUNYAC) | Cortland (18-4, 14-1 SUNYAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Dragons knocked down a trio of threes to go up 9-0 in the blink of an eye, but the Roos responded well after a timeout, outscoring Cortland 15-7 over the next few minutes to trail just 16-15 with 11 minutes left.
• However, the Red Dragons offense was very efficient for a stretch of time after this, and Cortland went out ahead 45-26 with just over two minutes remaining in the first half.
• The Roos did a nice job drawing fouls collectively in the first half and Lateef Johnson Jr., Eugene Johnson Jr., and Jahdeuir Reese combined for seven points the rest of the way.
• Lateef Johnson Jr. was the primary scorer in the first half, leading the way with 15 points as the Roos were behind 49-33 midway through.
• The Roos had a slow start to the second half, scoring just two points and missing five three-point attempts in the first six minutes as Cortland started to pull away up 60-35.
• SUNY Canton got some consistency on the offensive end in the middle part of the second half, showing resilience to get the game within 20 points with 7:46 to play after Malaki Smith's canned three made it 68-51.
• A 7-0 Cortland run immediately following this put the Roos away for good and Cortland finished the contest up 86-63.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Lateef Johnson Jr. finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead SUNY Canton in both categories. The game marked the fourth-straight double-double and this season, the junior now has 10 double-doubles in 14 games. He also pitched in with three steals and two blocks defensively.
•  Smith came off the bench and dropped in 11 points in 16 minutes as the only other player in double figures. Sean Quinn had four rebounds and two assists.
• Aaron Coston on the Cortland side proved a big problem for the Roos, scoring 29 points on 11-for-14 shooting and connecting on all three of his attempts from behind the three-point line. Nolan Raymond put in 15 off the bench for the Red Dragons.
• The Red Dragons won just about every aspect of the game in a contest which they never trailed. These included field goal percentage (51% - 39%), rebounding (42-29), and assists (16-9).

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Roos will continue the home stand tomorrow, February 14 in a Valentine's Day matchup against the Morrisville Mustangs at 4 p.m.  
   

Discover SUNY Canton, where innovation meets opportunity. The college's career-focused educational programs emphasize hands-on and applied learning opportunities in digital design, engineering technology, health, information technology, management, public service, and veterinary technology. Faculty members bring real-world experience and exceptional academic expertise to the classroom. As a leader in online education, SUNY Canton offers unmatched flexibility with hundreds of courses and 23 comprehensive degree programs offered completely online. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos compete at the NCAA Division III level and are members of the SUNYAC. In addition to its 15 traditional teams, SUNY Canton offers coed varsity esports and cheerleading.