The Roos led by as many as 12 in the opening half after a George Nehma layup with 7:56 to play in the first.
Canton held an eight-point advantage after a Santana three-pointer with 2:27 to go but the Beavers closed the stanza on a 6-0 run to get within two at intermission.
Neither team led by more than six in the second half, with the Roos holding that edge on multiple occasions. The hosts took their first lead after a pair of
Jack Kane (6'8''-F) free-throws with 5:05 to play (60-59).
Juztin Chambers-Phillips (5'10''-PG) drained a three-pointer and was fouled converting the free-throw to give Canton a 66-63 lead with 2:52 to go.
Issac Witham (6'0''-PG) responded with a trey for the Beavers and Werner hit a pair of free throws followed by an old-fashioned three-point play from
Bill Ruby (6'3''-F) that gave UMF the 69-68 advantage with 2:08 left.
Amir Moss (6'0''-PG) converted a layup to extend the Farmington lead to 71-68 with 1:22 to go but Nehma drained a three from the top of the key and hit the ensuing foul shot to give Canton another four-point play and a 72-71 lead with 1:01 to go.
The Beavers missed a jumper on their next possession and both teams turned the ball over before Canton missed a pair of free throws with 18 seconds remaining.
The game ultimately came down to a baseline out of bounds play for UMF with under six seconds remaining and Canton's stifling defense limited Farmington to a last-second shot that missed the rim resulting in the Roos win.
Werner and Santana led all scorers with 19 points each as Werner was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field, 1-for-1 from behind the arc, and 4-for-5 from the line. He also finished with 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.
Santana was 7-for-13 from the field and 5-for-10 from long distance, while Nehma tallied 13 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
Ruby paced the Beavers with 17 points, while
Riley Robinson (6'3''-F) (15),
Amir Moss (12),
Terion Moss (5'10''-PG) (11) and
Jack Kane (10) all scored in double figures.
Courtesy of nacathletics.com
NAC Tournament Final: Me.-Farmington - SUNY Canton 71-72
NAC Tournament Semifinals:Me.-Farmington - Me.-Presque Isle 90-73
SUNY Canton - Husson 89-81
Senthil
