The Oswego State men’s basketball team (12-4, 6-3 SUNYAC) has dropped two of its last three games since its seven-game winning streak was snapped back on Jan. 21 vs. SUNY Oneonta. 

This weekend, the Lakers are on the road as they take on two SUNYAC opponents in Buffalo State (3-10, 1-8 SUNYAC) Friday, and SUNY Fredonia (7-9, 3-6 SUNYAC) Saturday. The Lakers defeated both teams earlier in the season, both games were at Max Ziel Gymnasium. 

Oswego State currently sits in fourth place in the SUNYAC standings, only trailing teams it has been defeated by. These teams include: The College at Brockport, SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Oneonta. These are also all teams Oswego State will meet again later in the season.

Friday, Jan. 31 at Buffalo State

Last Time Out

Back on Jan. 11, Oswego State defeated Buffalo State at home by a score of 86-66. The win came in the midst of the Lakers seven game winning streak. The Lakers easily handled the Bengals, as they took an 18-point lead into the second half and never looked back. Joe Sullivan dominated for the Lakers in the win, finishing with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Jeremiah Sparks and Jordan Brown also put together very good games. Sparks finished with 18 points and six rebounds and Brown had his best performance of the season, with a line of 16 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. For the Bengals, it was Aaron Davis that led the way with 19 points. 

Players to Watch

Oswego State: Joe Sullivan

Sullivan dominated Buffalo State earlier in the season with that 18-point, 13-rebound stat line. Sullivan currently averages 13.8 points and 10 rebounds per game. He scored 19 points against SUNY Oneonta back on Jan. 21. Since then, he has only scored 12 and 10 points in back-to-back games vs. SUNY Potsdam and Plattsburgh State. Expect Sullivan to play well and post another double-double Friday night vs. Buffalo State. 

Buffalo State: Sheldon Adams

Adams is the leading scorer for the Bengals, averaging 16.6 points per game. Adams’ best game came back on Jan. 17 vs. Plattsburgh State, where he finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. His worst game came against Oswego State in their meeting earlier in the season. Adams finished with four points that night, all coming from the free-throw line. He finished the game shooting 0-10 from the field. Expect the Lakers to key in on Adams again Friday. 

Prediction

The Lakers take care of the Bengals once again, they win this one 80-68.

Saturday, Feb. 1 at SUNY Fredonia

Last Time Out

Back on Jan. 10, the Lakers took care of the Blue Devils with ease, as they won the game 67-44. Turnovers were a problem for the Blue Devils that night, as they finished with 17 of them. The Lakers would turn those turnovers into 22 points. Liam Sanborn led the way for the Lakers, finishing with 15 points and Joe Sullivan also played very well, finishing with 14 points, 11 rebounds and five steals. Dydy Bryan led the way for the Blue Devils, finishing with 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists. It was a fairly ugly shooting night from both teams as both finished the game shooting under 40% from the field. 

Players to Watch

Oswego State: Liam Sanborn

Sanborn has been streaky this year in terms of his scoring. Sanborn scored 22 points against SUNY New Paltz on Jan. 14 but has not reached double digits since. Sanborn is one of the primary ball handlers for the Lakers, so he has the opportunity to get looks. Sanborn played well last time out vs. SUNY New Paltz, expect him to come out aggressive and look to play well Saturday. 

SUNY Fredonia: Dydy Bryan

Bryan is the leading scorer for the Blue Devils at 15 points per game. Bryan has cracked the 20-point mark four times this season, but it has not happened since Dec. 7. He sits right around the 15- to 18-point mark for the season. He scored 14 points last time out vs. the Lakers, so expect him to come out and look to score early. 

Prediction

Lakers sweep the weekend and their season series with SUNY Fredonia, win this one 72-56.

Photo By Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian