Canton, NY – Lateef Johnson Jr. had the first triple-double in SUNY Canton D-III era history, Jordan Sidle had a game-tying three pointer to send the game to overtime with less than one second remaining, and the SUNY Canton men's basketball team put up a 45-minute fight against the now 18-3 Oswego State Lakers but fell 103-97 in overtime Friday night.

THE BASICS

• Result: Oswego 103, SUNY Canton 97
• Location: Stan Cohen Court – Canton, NY
• Records: SUNY Canton (4-17, 3-11 SUNYAC) | Oswego (18-3, 12-2 SUNYAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Roos could not miss to begin the game, and a Sean Quinn three-pointer led SUNY Canton to a 25-16 advantage halfway through the first half. The Roos made nine of their first 11 shots and canned four threes to start things off.
• Oswego got to the line efficiently late in the first half and used the paused clock to slowly gain on the Roos, eventually taking a lead at 39-38 with 1:28 left in the first stanza.
• The Lakers went into the locker room with a 46-41 advantage. Eugene Johnson Jr. paced SUNY Canton with 12 points in the first half.
• The Roos were lights out again for a stretch of time in the second half and Edram Gbekou's three with 15 minutes left gave the Roos a 58-55 lead. Two more consecutive buckets by Lateef Johnson Jr. and Jahdeuir Reese pushed the lead up to seven a couple minutes later.
• However, immediately after a timeout, the Lakers went on a 20-6 run, connecting on 4-of-4 three pointers and earning a 75-68 advantage with eight minutes to play.
• Down to the final few possessions, Quinn buried another critical three with 41 seconds remaining and the Roos trailed 84-83.
• Oswego got a hoop and harm on their possession to quiet the crowd and make it a two-possession game with 15 seconds left.
• Gbekou scored an uncontested two pointer with nine seconds left, and then the Lakers made just one of two free throws on the other end, making the game 88-85 with seven seconds left.
• On the potential final play of the game, Streb found Lateef Johnson Jr. near midcourt. Johnson Jr. was swarmed by defenders but managed to see an open Sidle in the corner. Sidle, who had just come into the game, was wide open and canned it with .9 seconds left on the timer to tie the game at 88; the final buzzer sounded a few moments later to bring the contest into overtime.
• The Roos began overtime with a bucket by Lateef Johnson Jr., but Oswego immediately responded. Despite shooting nearly 60% from the floor in regulation, the shots did not drop in overtime for the Roos. It was 94-93 Lakers with just over a minute remaining, but then Oswego scored five straight points to make it a six-point game with 20 seconds left.
• Byron Streb made a three as the last SUNY Canton points in a thriller of a game, but the Roos connected on just one of six three pointers in overtime as the Lakers went on to win 103-97.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Johnson Jr.'s triple-double is the first occurrence in the SUNY Canton full-time D-III era. He also tied a program record with 11 assists in a game. This was only the fourth time in the past 10 years a player had double-digit assists and the only other time someone had 11 was the legendary Sam Annorh (11/26/16 vs St Lawrence).
• In a very balanced scoring night from SUNY Canton, in addition to Lateef Johnson Jr.'s performance, Streb, Quinn, Reese, Gbekou, and Eugene Johnson Jr. all scored in double figures. Streb led the crew with 20 points and Reese had a nice night with 12 points and six assists.
• Jayson McGhee was the leading scorer for the Lakers, coming off the bench to score 27 points in 27 minutes before fouling out. Arthur Foster was a catalyst on both ends for Oswego with 22 points, 19 rebounds, and five assists.
• The Roos offense was clicking on all cylinders with a season high in field goals made (34), three pointers (13), field goal percentage (55%), and 24 assists. The 24 assists are tied for the fourth most in the D-III era.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Roos have an entire week off before they host the Cortland Red Dragons on Friday, February 13 with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
   

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.