BROCKPORT, NY — Men’s Basketball went on the road Friday evening to battle the number one seed in the SUNYAC Championship. The Brockport Golden Eagles are currently 23rd in the nation as the teams faced off in Brockport to decide who would advance to the finals. The Lakers would 67-82 as both teams would score 44 points in the second half and Brockport would move on to the finals. The difference would come in the first half as the Golden Eagles would soar past the Lakers heading into halftime as the home team was up 38-23 at that point. Oswego was led by Jamal Achille as the freshman secured 19 points after netting 7 field goals. Senior Joe Sullivan was right behind him as he netted 16 points for the final time as a Laker. Oswego finished 19-8 overall and were semi-finalists in the SUNYAC Championship.

OSWEGO, NY — Men’s Basketball battled Cortland Tuesday night in the first round of the SUNYAC Championship. The 74-67 final featured a Laker comeback in the second half as the team outscored the Red Dragons 44-30 to secure the win. Junior Liam Sanborn had a large part in the comeback as the guard put up 26 points in his 38 minutes play to lead the Lakers. Senior Joe Sullivan secured six field goals in his 38 minutes played as well. This win eliminates the Cortland Red Dragons who were the fifth seed in the playoffs.

Oswego now looks ahead to the Semi-Final round in which the team will have to travel to Brockport to face off against the number one team. The nationally ranked Golden Eagles are scheduled to battle the Lakers at 7:30 p.m. upon the finish of the other game between Oneonta and Potsdam. The winners will play each other at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Brockport.

OSWEGO, NY — Men’s Basketball wrapped up their regular season this past Saturday as Brockport traveled into the Max Ziel Gymnasium. Number 25 Brockport would take this one 85-80 as the teams need extra time to decide a winner. The Golden Eagles would score 11 points in overtime to secure the victory. Liam Sanborn led the Lakers on Senior Day as he tallied 23 points in his 44 minutes played. Joe Sullivan tallied 16 points as he made 5 field goals and 5 free throws.

The Lakers will now start preparing for their first round playoff game in the SUNYAC Championship against Cortland. The Red Dragons and the Lakers split games this season as each team won against each other in their own gyms. Oswego is the four seed in the tournament and will be the home team in the match up. The game will be held at 7 p.m. in the Max Ziel Gym.

OSWEGO, NY — Men’s Basketball secured the victory over Geneseo 64-42 Friday night. The Lakers got their 12th conference win of the season as Oswego was only up seven points heading into the second half. The Lakers would extend their lead in the next half as the group tallied 37 points. Jeremiah Sparks would net 15 points in his 32 minutes played as the freshman made five field goals and one three pointer. Brandon Gartland would also net 13 points as the senior dropped three three pointers.

Oswego remains in fourth place in the SUNYAC standings with only one game remaining. The Lakers have a chance to move into third but Oswego cannot fall as Cortland is already locked into the fifth seed. Brockport, currently locked into the number one spot, travels into the Marano Campus Center Saturday for the last game of the regular season. Todays game is also Senior Day as tip off is set for 4 p.m. in the Max Ziel Gym.

OSWEGO, NY — After beating Plattsburgh Friday night, Men’s Basketball battled Potsdam Saturday evening and lost 76-62 for their fifth conference loss of the season. After going into the second half tied at 33 apiece, the Lakers couldn’t hold the Bears as Potsdam put up 43 points compared to only Oswego’s 29. Brandan Gartland led the team with 18 points in his 38 minutes played. The 16-6 Lakers are currently fourth in the SUNYAC standings and have clinched a playoff berth. Oswego still can move up the rankings with three SUNYAC games remaining. The Lakers head to Oneonta Tuesday night for another conference match up.

For the 19th straight season, the Oswego State Lakers have clinched the SUNYAC Tournament and what a better way to do it than on Valentine’s day. The Lakers defeated the Cardinals on Friday night during their six point victory thanks to a combined, 43 point effort from seniors Brandon Gartland and Joe Sullivan. 

Plattsburgh kept it close throughout the first half while using their best rendition of ‘Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better’. Each time the Lakers grabbed a bucket on one end, the Cardinals always had an answer. Oswego held the lead by four points or less through the first ten minutes of the contest but three minutes later, with an already shallow selection on the bench, Plattsburgh Head Coach Mike Blaine had some decision making to do following the injury of Forward Jeremy Eisenmen. Eisenmen went down hard after crashing the boards and was clutching his left knee. He was able to put pressure on it but would not return to the game. 

In his absence, Matt Bernhard, a 5’10” stud off the bench, executed a perfect first half of shooting off the bench. Aside from his one missed free throw, he shot 3-3 from distance and 4-4 from the field ending with 12 of the Cardinals 34 points at halftime. 

Brandon Gartland shot five for eight from behind the arc in the first half, good enough to lead the book with 15 points at the break. Joe Sullivan was a vital part of the first half for the Lakers tallying nine free throw attempts and sinking five of them. Sullivan struggled to find his rhythm early on but that would change going into the second half. 

General Joe flipped the switch coming out of the locker room scoring 12 of his 21 in the second frame. Sullivan shot 5-13 in the second half and ended with 8 rebounds and 8 assists to add onto his impressive scoring performance. Coach Leone was happy with his big man’s performance.

“Joe plays hard every night,” Leone said. “He’s a senior and he is doing what we would hope seniors do at this point in their senior season. I’m really pleased with the things he did tonight. He deserves it.”

However, Gartland went in the opposite direction having a rather quiet second half. He scored just seven points adding his total to 22 without a single three pointer in after the break. “They were sticking a little tighter to me,” Gartland expressed. “Other people were making plays and we were still scoring.” For what he lacked on the offensive end, he made up for on the defensive end with four steals and a couple big time stops down the stretch. 

Plattsburgh got into some foul trouble five minutes into the second half when Erik Salo was charged with his fourth personal. Now with Eisenmen injured and Salo playing restricted and cautious minutes, the only other options off the bench were Marlon Todd and freshman Lamont Hough Jr. who never saw the floor.

With six to go, the Lakers turned on the after-burners going on an 8-2 run in a minute and 28 seconds taking a 69-61 lead with 4:05 remaining. The Cardinals never came back from this lead, falling short to the Lakers 75-69. It came down to protecting the ball tonight and Plattsburgh was not proficient in that category. Averaging 15 turnovers a game, Coach Blaine’s Cardinals exceeded that margin with 16 and 11 of those turnovers came in the second half.

Coach Jason Leone was excited about clinching the SUNYAC tournament for the ninth time in his nine years as the head coach of Oswego State but recognized that there was still work to do following Friday night. “We’re in the playoffs,” Leone expressed. “So now we are in a battle to try and get a home game. Every game has a significant meaning from here on out.” With Potsdam traveling to Laker hall at 4:00 pm for the second game of the back to back, the Lakers have a win under their belt and look to continue their winning ways after Improving to 16-5 on the year.

Last weekend proved to be a tough test for the men’s basketball team during a hard fought battle in Cortland. The Red Dragons outlasted the Lakers shooting 57% from the field and outscored them down the stretch in the second half. Oswego is still one win away from clinching a playoff berth going into this weekend.

The Lakers set up shop in Max Ziel Gymnasium this Friday night at 7:30 pm against Plattsburgh–a sub .500 team–and had no difficulty taming the bird up in the north country last month. Oswego came away with a 19 point victory despite a rather lousy five for 30 shooting performance from behind the arc. 

The Cardinals were without two of their on-court regulars in the first meeting and will look to get them on the floor for the second. Nick DeAngelis (12.7 PPG) and Adam Jaquish (88.5% FT) are two pivotal guys in their lineup that, when healthy, can be the best one-two punch in the SUNYAC. Oswego State coach Jason Leone hopes to keep them shut down if they see the floor on Friday night.

As for Potsdam, they come to town on Saturday at 4:00 pm after playing Cortland the night before. The Bears swam through Oswego’s defense in the second half of their matchup in late-January, taking home a ten point victory. 

Potsdam controlled the tempo outscoring the lakers in the paint 32-20 and 12-2 on the fastbreak. Coach Leone was displeased with their offensive performance that night, watching his team turn the ball over 15 times–which they have done five times this season. 

Reminder..the Lakers need just one win to clinch a SUNYAC playoff berth. Don’t miss a minute of action, watch the games on WTOP10!