After a perfect 7-0 start to their season, the Lakers have lost five of their last eight games and all of them have come against conference rivals. It puts the Lakers in a tough spot for playoff contention.
Despite the 10-5 overall record, the Lakers’ 3-5 conference record leaves them in only 8th place, third from the bottom, in the SUNYAC standings.
The Lakers will look to get back on track as they play the first of a two game weekend homestand on Friday against the SUNY New Paltz Hawks, who are one of two teams below them in the SUNYAC standings, with only a 1-7 conference record and a 2-12 record overall. The Hawks are coming off a victory, however, as they beat the Buffalo State Bengals on Jan. 23.
The Lakers are coming off a loss to the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons which was a back and forth contest throughout despite the Lakers’ not having top scorer Brian Sortino for most of the first half.
Keeping possession of the ball has been a strength of the Lakers all season. They are the fourth best team in the country in not turning the ball over, committing only 9.7 turnovers a game. The Hawks on the contrary are one of the worst teams in the country in the category, committing 18.1 turnovers per game this season.
Top scorer Sortino will also look to avoid foul trouble so he doesn’t sit out for significant time like he did against SUNY Cortland. Sortino missed most of the first half, and his second half performance which saw him net 15 points will make one think about what could have been.
Coach Jason Leone has his team take it one game at a time, and he always states how competitive the SUNYAC as a whole is, and that no team should be underestimated.
Both sides met each other twice last season and split the pair of games with each team winning on their home court. They face off again as the Lakers look to get their fourth conference win at the Max Ziel Gymnasium at 7:30 on Friday.
