(Concord, N.H.)- No. 3 SUNY Canton provided the first upset in the Sunrise Conference basketball championships as they upended No. 2 University of Maine at Presque Isle 63-51 Saturday at New Hampshire Technical Institute. The Roos improved to 12-12 overall and will face No. 1 University of Maine at Fort Kent in the championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m. Presque Isle ends the year at 9-13.
The Roos pulled out the win on Saturday by out scoring Presque Isle 19-2 over the final seven minutes of the game.
Emily Pelletier put the Owls ahead 49-44 with a 3-pointer with 7:40 on the clock and then Emily Bush scored on a driving layup that ignited the decisive run.
During that stetch SUNY Canton upped their defensive pressure, forced several turnovers, drew three offensive fouls and controlled the boards on both ends. For the game SUNY Canton out rebounded the Owls 52-31 and grabbed 20 offensive rebounds to just 10 for Presque Isle. SUNY Canton converted those offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points and SUNY Canton's bench outscored the Owls 30-8.
One of those players off the bench for SUNY Canton was Heather Lottie who scored seven of her game-high 15 points during that closing run. Lottie also had nine rebounds, six offensive, and two steals. Brittany Kenyon went 6-for-8 from the free throw line and had 13 points despite playing with foul trouble. Julie Vander Wiel added 11 points and eight boards and Jackie Sedlacek had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Pelletier and Julie Peers each had 14 points to lead the Owls. Peers also grabbed seven rebounds. Megan Korhonen added 11 points, four rebounds and three assists and Emily Moore had four points and seven assists.