The Oswego State men’s basketball team (4-1) begins SUNYAC play this weekend, as it travels to The College at Brockport (3-1) Friday and SUNY Geneseo (3-3) Saturday. 

Oswego State is coming off its first loss of the season, where it lost a heartbreaker in overtime to St. Lawrence University, 83-82. The game came right down to the final buzzer, as Lakers guard Jeremiah Sparks drove down the middle lane and missed a floater as time expired. TJ Brescia then tipped in the miss from Sparks, only to be waved off. Sparks led the way for the Lakers that night with 27 points and 10 rebounds. The Lakers look to bounce back this weekend, as they hope to begin SUNYAC play with a pair of wins in a very tough, talented conference. 

Friday, Dec. 6 at The College at Brockport

Last Season’s Matchups

Oswego State went 3-0 last year vs. The College at Brockport. Most notably, this game is a rematch of last year’s SUNYAC Championship Game, where the Lakers defeated the Golden Eagles 55-50. In the game, the Lakers erased a four-point deficit with less than 3:00 remaining in regulation with a 9-0 run to capture the title.  The largest win for the Lakers against the Golden Eagles came in an 85-69 victory last February. 

Players to Watch

Oswego State: Joe Sullivan and Jeremiah Sparks

Sullivan is currently averaging a double-double on the season for the Lakers with 14.4 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. He is coming off arguably his best all-around performance of the year so far, where he finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 5 assists against St. Lawrence University. Expect him to continue to be a big part of the Lakers offense in this game. Also look out for him to be potentially matched up against the Golden Eagles leading scorer Justin Summers. Sparks is coming off back to back double-doubles. Against Nazareth College, Sparks finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Against St. Lawrence University, he finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds. It will be interesting to see if Sparks continues to take on a big offensive role in the upcoming games for the Lakers. 

The College at Brockport: Justin Summers

Summers was the leading scorer for the Golden Eagles last season, where he averaged 17 points per game as a junior. Four games into his senior season, he is averaging 19 points per game to go along with 7.5 rebounds. 

Prediction

Oswego State’s offense continues to flourish, the Golden Eagles do not get revenge and the Lakers win this one 83-75. 

______________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, Dec. 7 at SUNY Geneseo

Last Season’s Matchups

Oswego State went 2-0 vs SUNY Geneseo last season. Last time they met, the Lakers defeated the Knights on the road to grab win the SUNYAC regular season title with a score of 69-63. Earlier in the season, the Lakers defeated the Knights 68-58. 

Players to Watch

Oswego State: Brandan Gartland 

The current leading scorer for the Lakers. He’s averaging 16 points per game, while shooting 48.4% from the 3-point line. He has been shooting the ball terrifically so far this season. With Gartland taking more shots per game, expect him to play a big role in the Lakers offense this game. 

SUNY Geneseo: Terrance Nichols

Nichols is a senior and returning starter for the Knights. He is currently averaging 12 points per game, down from last year’s 15.7 points per game. However, he is still a big part of the Knights offense and look for him to reach double digits in scoring this game. He was able to eclipse double digits in the scoring column both games last season against the Lakers. 

Prediction

Lakers control the game from start to finish and win this one 80-68.

Photo By Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian