OSWEGO N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s basketball completed their season last weekend. One of the most dominant season’s in program history saw them lose only two games all season and only one in conference play. Their first loss came to Nazareth on November 23 and their second coming February 11 to New Paltz. Between the two losses, seventeen straight wins. They finished the season ranked seventeenth in the country, at their highest they were ranked fourteenth. They finished with a record of 23-2, 17-1 in conference play.
On Friday, they are set to play the New Paltz Hawks once more. The two teams play for the third time this season, and the for the second in the Max Ziel Gymnasium. The first time the two sides met was January 29 in Oswego, The Lakers came out victorious 82-53. Devin Green led the Lakers that day with thirteen points, including 4-7 from three. Kaleb Cook and Christian Simmons both contributed eleven. The second matchup was just two weeks ago, this time in New Paltz. In a game that most thought Oswego would walk away with just as they had almost every other game this season, New Paltz shocked Oswego and grabbed a one point victory. Jeremiah Sparks led all Lakers that night with fifteen points. With a rematch on the cards, and both teams looking to win the season series, the winner of the final matchup gets to move on to the SUNYAC Final, to play the winner of Brockport and Oneonta.
The Lakers were led this season by Sophomore guard Jeremiah Sparks and Junior guard Devin Green, both averaging 11.4 points per game. Julien Crittendon and Christian Simmons were the only other two Lakers to average over 10 points per game, 11.0 and 10.4 respectively. Devin Green was the fourth best three point shooter in the country this year, hitting threes at a 47.45% clip. Sparks and Green were also the teams rebounding leaders at 5.8 rebounds per game each, with Brendon Mulson right behind 5.7. What made Oswego stand out this year, was their team defense. Oswego allowed a measly 59.4 points against per game, the fourth best defense in the nation. They also held teams to a 37.2 field goal percentage, the fifth lowest in the nation.
The Lakers, led by head coach Jason Leone, are looking to win the tournament and get a bid to the NCAA tournament. The winner of Friday’s matchups will play in the SUNYAC championship game on Saturday. All games are being held at SUNY Oswego. WTOP10 will have coverage of all three playoff games, and any potential NCAA games played at Oswego.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MATT HERNANDEZ, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
SUNYAC BRACKET COURTESY OF SUNYAC WEBSITE
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