MARIETTA O.H. — A historic season by the Oswego State men’s basketball team came to end Friday night in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Division 3 tournament. After winning the first two rounds in Swarthmore, the team was sent to Marietta, Ohio to take on the the Marietta College Pioneers, the hosts of the new pod. A matchup between two top 25 ranked teams, Marietta number two and Oswego number 17, was set to be a tough one for both sides.
The Lakers got on the board first from an Ahkee Anderson three. The Lakers were the ones hitting their shots early, and just five minutes in they held an 8-2 lead. It didn’t take Marietta long to find their stride and by the ten minute mark it was only a 16-15 lead for Oswego. The teams went back and forth draining baskets, and Marietta grabbed their first lead of the game, 22-21, just under the eight minute mark. The Pioneers would then went on a 14-6 run over the next five minutes to grab a nine point lead. The Lakers closed the lead to four with 36 second to go on a Jeremiah Sparks three, but Marietta’s Lukas Isaly hit a three with six second to go to give the Pioneers a seven point lead, 43-36, into the halftime break. Oswego came out of the locker rooms hot. A Devin Green three got the half started, and they grabbed a 47-46 lead with 15 minutes remaining. The Lakers kept pushing and just a minute and a half later they led 56-47, a 20-4 run coming out of the half. Marietta went on a run of their own, 11-2, to tie the game at 58, with eight minutes to play, and then grabbed a 64-61 lead on a Tim Kreeger layup and one with six minutes in the game. Devin Green hit a three with five to go to give Oswego their final lead of the game, 66-65. Marietta kept hitting their shots, and extended the lead to 10, 78-68, with a 1:48 to go. The Lakers got as close as five on three straight free throw makes from Green, 80-75, but the Pioneers weren’t letting the lead slip away and they moved on the Elite Eight 89-81. Devin Green was the Laker’s leader with 22 points tying his season high, he was 5-10 from three and 7-13 overall. Jeremiah Sparks added 19 points and Ahkee Anderson had 12 to go with six assists. Jamal Achille and Brendon Mulson had seven and six rebounds respectively to lead the team. Marietta’s Jason Ellis had had 28 points, with Lukas Isaly and Tim Kreeger both contributing 17. Marietta moves on to take on Christopher Newport University in the Elite Eight.
Oswego’s season comes to an end with a record of 27-3, a school record for wins in a season. They clinched their eighth SUNYAC Championship and fifth since the 2011-12 season. They claimed their sixth appearance in the NCAA tournament, and their third sweet sixteen appearance, the farthest the team has ever gotten (2016, 2019). Devin Green was the Lakers overall scoring leader at 12.2 points per game, with Jeremiah Sparks (11.8) and Julien Crittendon (10.5) the other to Lakers above 10 ppg. Green (5.7), Sparks (5.5), Brendon Mulson (5.5), and Christian Simmons (5.3) all averaged over five rebounds per games, with Jamal Achille averaging 4.4. Ahkee Anderson ran the point for Oswego most of the season and he led the team in assists per game at 3.0 as a freshman, also contributing 8.4 points. The Lakers are seeing seven seniors graduate, Forward Brendon Mulson, Forward Christian Simmons, Guard Eric Sanfilippo, Forward Jordan Brown, Forward Hunter Cole, Guard Julien Crittendon, and Center Louis Fedullo.
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