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!