NEWBURGH, N.Y. – In their first contest since Dec. 16, 2014, the Mount Saint Mary College men's basketball team (2-8) succumbed to SUNY Canton (7-2) by a score of 76-62 Wednesday afternoon at the Kaplan Center.
The Knights had a tough time scoring in Wednesday's matchup, making just 38.3 percent (23-of-60) of their shots from the field and 50 percent (12-of-24) of their attempts from the free-throw line. The visiting Kangaroos turned in a stronger effort, making 25-of-50 (50 percent) shots and 19-of-24 (79.2 percent) of their foul shots. Turnovers were not an issue for the home team, as they had five more takeaways (22) than giveaways (17).
Both teams traded leads early in the first half, and the Knights held an 11-10 advantage at the 14:28 mark after a layup by sophomore guard
Austin Stewart (New Paltz, N.Y.). That marked the last time the Knights would have the lead in Wednesday's contest, as the Kangaroos then went on a 14-0 run to take a 24-11 edge just four minutes later. While the Knights hung tight and did not let the Kangaroos runs away early, they still trailed by 13 points going into the break.
The Knights found a rhythm a few minutes into the second frame, stringing together a 9-0 run to shrink a 16-point Kangaroo lead to just seven. A three by Canton's Sam Annorh halted the Knights' momentum and put the visitors up by double digits once again. The Knights were unable to get back within single digits for the remainder of the game, but did not trail by more than 16 points at any point down the stretch.
Annorh led all scorers with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting on the afternoon. He also dished out a game-high four assists. Romario Fletcher contributed 17 points and tied for the team lead with five rebounds.
Junior guard
Stephen Steyer (Staten Island, N.Y.) paced the Knights with 17 points, adding four boards, four steals, three assists and a block for a solid all-around effort. Sophomore forward
Alex Smith (Marlboro, N.Y.) grabbed a game-high eight rebounds and tallied six points.
The Knights will look to bounce back on Saturday when they host rival Farmingdale State College in Skyline Conference action at the Kaplan Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Follow the Knights on Twitter at
@MSMCKnights
