(Canton, N.Y.)- Bolstered by a strong double-double from freshman forward Karyss Terrance (Hogansburg, N.Y.), the SUNY Canton women’s basketball team held off Vermont Technical College 54-51 Saturday afternoon at Roos House.

Terrance scored 14 points and hauled in a career-high 19 rebounds, including 13 on the offensive end, to post her second double-double of the season and give the Roos their first win of 2013. SUNY Canton, who are ranked 12th in the USCAA Division I Coaches Poll, have won three of their last five contests and improved to 6-5 overall while the Knights dropped to 6-5. SUNY Canton out rebounded the Vermont Tech 55-39 including a 28-14 advantage on the offensive glass.

The home team didn’t look like the game would go their way in the early going as Vermont Tech scored the first seven points of the game and held a seven-point advantage at 10-3 with 15:18 left in the first half. But the Roos dug themselves out of the hole when Terrance scored on an offensive rebound and put back that kick-started an 11-3 run to surge ahead 14-13. The Knights answered with a 9-0 run of their own to open an eight-point advantage with just over five minutes remaining, but back-to-back jumpers from senior Brittany Crump (North Lawrence, N.Y.) and Corrine Riegel (Bainbridge, N.Y.) closed the gap to 22-18 and Vermont Tech eventually took a 25-22 lead into halftime.

The Roos found themselves in another hole when they trailed by 11 points with just under 15 minutes left on the clock, but the Roos reeled off another impressive run, this time an 11-3 spurt capped off by an Ashley Merritt (Watertown, N.Y.) 3-pointer that gave the home team the lead for good at 42-40 with 10:29 on the clock.

Vermont Tech hung close in the final seconds of the game, but couldn’t take advantage of several SUNY Canton misses from the free throw line down the stretch and the Roos hung for the victory.

Freshman Brianna Sayer (Hermon, N.Y.) contributed 13 points and six rebounds. Merritt finished with seven points and a career-high nine rebounds. Riegel ended the game with eight points and four steals and junior Joelle Percy (Black River, N.Y.) added six points, four rebounds, four assists, and four steals.

Kelly Vellek led the Knights with 21 points canning four 3-pointers and Ama Baker added 14 points, six rebounds and six assists.

The Roos return to their home court on Sunday when they face the University of Maine at Presque Isle at 4 p.m. in Roos House.