The Oswego State men’s basketball team (15-4, 9-3 SUNYAC) is currently on a four-game winning streak. Saturday, the Lakers will look to extend their winning streak to five games, as they head to SUNY Cortland to take on the Red Dragons (12-6, 6-5 SUNYAC) at Whitney T. Corey Gymnasium.

Last Time Out

Oswego State defeated SUNY Cortland 68-66 at home back on Jan. 18. Freshman guard Jeremiah Sparks had a brilliant night for the Lakers, as he finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds. Brandan Gartland added 14 points of his own. Together, the two shot 9-18 from the 3-point line. For SUNY Cortland, it was Brendan Fitzpatrick who led the way with 17 points and seven rebounds. Eric Edwards and Austin Grunder also played well, Edwards finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Grunder finished with 13 points and 16 rebounds. The game was very back-and-forth, as the Lakers went on a 20-7 run in the first half, but the Red Dragons would not go away. The Lakers led 33-26 at the half. The Lakers then went on a 9-2 run early in the second half to extend the lead back up to 12 points at 42-30.  SUNY Cortland battled back with a 20-6 run of its own to find itself a 50-48 lead with 9:57 left in the game. Later in the game, Fitzpatrick hit a 3-pointer with three seconds left for the Red Dragons to cut the lead to two 68-66, but that would be the final score as the Lakers left with the win.

Players to Watch

Oswego State: Jeremiah Sparks

Sparks went off in the last matchup against the Red Dragons, finishing with 31 points and 13 rebounds. Heading into the game Saturday, Sparks leads the Lakers in scoring at 14.9 points per game. Sparks’ scoring has decreased as of late, as he has failed to score double-digits in four of the past five games, but he had a 23-point effort against SUNY Fredonia on Feb. 1. Expect Sparks to come out aggressive, as he had one of his best games of the season last time vs. the Red Dragons

SUNY Cortland: Austin Grunder

Grunder averages a double-double for the Red Dragons with 21.4 points and 15.2 rebounds per game. He is coming off of a double-double performance against Buffalo State, where he finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. His best performance came against Buffalo State earlier in the season, as he finished with 35 points and 16 rebounds. Grunder is a threat to put up a double-double any night. He did last game vs. the Lakers, but in terms of his scoring, they held him to just 13 points, which is great. Expect the Lakers to key in on Grunder Saturday but watch out for another double-double performance from him. 

SUNYAC Update

Here are the updated standings as of Saturday, Feb. 8.

1. The College at Brockport: 17-3 (12-1 SUNYAC)
2. SUNY Potsdam: 16-4 (11-2 SUNYAC)
3. SUNY Oneonta: 13-5 (9-2 SUNYAC)
4. Oswego State: 15-4 (9-3 SUNYAC)
5. SUNY Cortland: 12-6 (6-5 SUNYAC)
6. SUNY Geneseo: 8-12 (5-8 SUNYAC)
7. Plattsburgh State: 8-12 (5-8 SUNYAC)
8. SUNY Fredonia: 7-13 (3-10 SUNYAC
9. SUNY New Paltz: 5-14 (1-11 SUNYAC)
10.  Buffalo State: 3-14 (1-12 SUNYAC)

Other SUNYAC teams in action Saturday:

• SUNY Geneseo travels to SUNY Oneonta, tip-off at 4 p.m.
• The College at Brockport heads to SUNY New Paltz, tip off at 4 p.m.
• Plattsburgh State hosts Buffalo State, tip-off at 4 p.m.
• SUNY Fredonia hosts SUNY Potsdam, tip-off at 4 p.m. 

Prediction

The Lakers win their fifth straight game in a close one winning the game 72-67.

Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian