CANTON, NY – Lou Bellamy logged his second consecutive double-double (20 points, 13 rebounds), as the Houghton Highlanders defeated the SUNY Canton Roos on their home court on Friday night, 94-63.
 
The Highlanders' defense forced 20 Canton turnovers and limited the Roos to only 34 percent shooting on the night.
 
A competitive game throughout the majority of the first half, Houghton finished the final three minutes before the break on a 9-2 run, giving them a 40-29 advantage at the half.
 
In the second half, Houghton built their lead to as many as 15 points in the opening minutes.  But the Roos mounted a comeback, and with just over 11 minutes left to play, a three-pointer My'Kell Kaigler pulled Canton with five points.
 
That, however, would be as close as the Roos would come, as Houghton outscored Canton, 40-14, over the remainder of the game.
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 94 | SUNY Canton – 63
Records: Houghton: 3-2 | SUNY Canton: 0-4
Venue: The Roos House, SUNY Canton | Attendance: 77

NOTABLE STATS
>> Preston Thomas came within a rebound of a double-double, logging 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while Jake Verschoyle added 15 points and four assists.
 
>> Jajuan Preaster scored 14 points, all in the second half.  He now has 1,160 career points, only two behind Devin Paige (2007-11) for ninth place on the Highlanders all-time scoring list.

COACH'S CORNER
"That was a fun team win. So many contributors, which allowed us to save our legs for tomorrow's game at Alfred State.
 
"Canton cut it to five and then we went on a tear. A 39-10 run on the road over a 10-minute span. Solid stuff at both ends for possession after possession.
 
"Lou Bellamy has had a solid couple of games this week. Tonight he faced a tough big and came to play on both ends.
 
"I'm really excited for the breakout game Jake Verschoyle had. He's been figuring it out game-by-game, but tonight came up big. Jake had the highest +/- on the team at 25. His versatility really helps us."
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders travel cross-county tomorrow to take on the Alfred State Pioneers at 4:00 p.m.  Alfred State has won the last five meetings between the teams by an average of 3.2 points per game.  None of the last five contests have been decided by more than four points.