Men's Basketball Edges Vermont Tech 71-68
2/13/2010 5:37:53 PM
Jeff Grenier goes up for two of his 12 points againt Vermont Tech
(Potsdam, N.Y.)- Jeff Grenier (Whitehall, N.Y.) powered his way to a double-double on Saturday helping the SUNY Canton men's basketball team snap a two-game slide with a 71-68 win over Vermont Technical College. The Roos improved to 4-7 in the Sunrise Conference and 6-15 overall while the Green Knights dropped to 5-6 and 10-10.
Grenier finished with 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in a solid performance. The sophomore shot 5-for-8 from the field and hit 2 of 3 free throws in nearly 39 minutes.
The game was close throughout the day thanks to a barrage of 3-pointers by both teams. The Roos sank 10 triples and Vermont Tech nailed 11. Neither team was able to build more than a seven-point lead which SUNY Canton did midway through the second half.
Vermont Tech was able to battle back and stay close by generating many second-chance opportunites. The Green Knights grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and held a 39-32 advantage on the glass.
The last four minutes of regulation saw a flurry of activity and some key outside shots. Jajuan Williams (Jacksonville, N.C.) buried one of his three treys with 3:52 left that put the Roos up 65-59.
The two teams exchanged threes on the next two possessions. Kevin Carr sank one for Vermont Tech and Carlton Mitchell (Bronx, N.Y.) answered for SUNY Canton.
Carr nailed another three on the Green Knights next trip down the floor closing the gap to 68-65.
Grenier then grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a layup putting the Roos back up by five at 70-65. Carr stepped up again and hit another three trimming the lead to 70-68 with 1:19 on the clock.
With under a minute to go the Roos missed a pair of free throws, Carr finally misfired from beyond the arc but Vermont Tech got the ball back on a SUNY Canton turnover with under 30 seconds left. Williams then came up with a big steal, was fouled and made one of two free throws for a 71-68 lead.
With time winding down Vermont Tech was forced to call two timeouts trying to set up a game-tying 3-pointer. With three seconds left the Green Knights inbounded the ball but Cody Chamberlin stepped out of bounds and the Roos ran out the clock.
Mitchell finished with a team-high 19 points sinking three 3-pointers. Deric Alston (Jacksonville, N.C.) added 13 points and four rebounds and Williams finished with 10 pints , three assists and two steals.
Trent Roleau led Vermont Tech with 20 points, including three triples, and six rebounds. Carr ended with five threes and 17 points and Eko N'Bouke added 12 points and 10 boards.