Strong second half carries Roos past Keuka

(Canton, N.Y.)- Timothy Taylor (New York, N.Y.) led four players in double figures with 18 points and the SUNY Canton men’s basketball team used a dominant start to the second half to pull away to a convincing 67-49 win over Keuka College at home Tuesday night.

The Roos moved to 2-0 overall while the Storm dropped to 0-1.

After an exciting back-and-forth first half that saw 10 lead changes and six ties, the Roos took a two-point lead at 31-29 into the locker room after junior Ryan Lamica (Constable, N.Y.) scored on a layup with 53 seconds left.

The second half was a different story as the final 20 minutes was all SUNY Canton. Freshman Woody Jules (Brooklyn, N.Y.) worked his way inside for a layup on SUNY Canton’s first offensive possession of the second half that ignited a 12-0 run over the next two minutes. Jules had half of the Roos points during that decisive stretch. SUNY Canton extended their lead to as much as 18 points on several different occasions and was able to hold a double-digit lead the rest of the game after forcing the Storm into 22 percent shooting in the final stanza and 27 percent for the game. The large crowd was into the game from the beginning and even more into it when freshman Vonallen Pickett (Brooklyn, N.Y.) threw down a two-handed slam on a breakaway in the second half.

“We really came out in the second half and established ourselves right away, especially with Woody down low” said head coach Keith Sullivan. “Defensively we were great and we really ratcheted up our pressure to set the tone of the game and ended up with a terrific win.”

SUNY Canton held a 41-39 rebounding advantage, made nine steals in the game, shot an impressive 46 percent from the floor, and converted 21 of 30 free throw attempts.

Taylor worked his way around the rim and in the paint to lead all players in scoring. He shot 7- for-10 from the floor and also snagged eight rebounds. Junior Irving Cato (New York, N.Y.) posted his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 boards for the Roos. Lamica finished with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists, and Jules had 12 points and four rebounds.

Teddy Tuggles was the only Storm player to reach double figures as he had 11 points and three rebounds. Anthony Ordonez came off the bench to contribute eight points and seven boards.

SUNY Canton hits the road this weekend for the first time as they’ll compete in the New England College tournament. The Roos open against the host Pilgrams on Friday at 5 p.m.