CANTON, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly men's basketball team defeated SUNY Canton 78-76 on a last-second basket from Anthony Rose. As time was running down, Rose hit a three-pointer to give the Wildcats a 78-76 lead. The Kangaroos would have a chance on a long inbound play, but the shot would be no good and the Wildcats would hold on for the exciting victory. With the win, the Wildcats move to 14-9 on the season and 9-3 in conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Wildcats scored first on Saturday afternoon an two Anthony Rose free throws and would lead the entire first half. Cheickne Toure and Anthony Rose would continue their strong years on Saturday, with Toure scoring 15 first-half points, and Rose scoring 12 first-half points to give the Wildcats a 42-30 lead going into halftime. For the Kangaroos, Eli Larson would lead the way with 10 first-half points, while also grabbing 5 rebounds.

In the second half, the Wildcats would maintain their 10+ point lead for the first 10 minutes of the half before the Kangaroos began to chip away at the lead and make it a tight game. With nine minutes to play, Byron Streb made a free throw for the Kangaroos to make it a 57-52 game. After the Kangaroos cut it to 3 points, Toure would answer with a three-pointer to give the Wildcats a 62-56 lead. With 4:04 remaining, the Kangaroos would tie the game at 66-66 after an Eli Larson tip-in layup. A major point in the game would come with :55 seconds remaining when Larson would again connect for the Kangaroos and would give them a 74-73 lead. After two Anthony Rose free throws, Bryon Streb once put the Kangaroos on top with :27 seconds remaining. With :02 seconds left, Anthony Rose would make a massive three-pointer to give the Wildcats the lead for good, 78-76. A last chance effort from Bryon Streb went off the backboard and out of bounds and the Wildcats would avoid the scare and improve to 14-9 overall and 9-3 in conference play.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Toure finished with 26 points, while Rose finished with 25 points for the Wildcats. Josh Ernst finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds for the double-double. 

• Eli Larson led the Kangaroos with 18 points and 14 rebounds.

UP NEXT: 

The Wildcats will be back in action on Friday, February 9th as they host Eastern Nazarene. The game is scheduled to tip at 5:30 PM.