Four of the last five regular season games for the Oswego State men’s basketball team (15-5, 9-4 SUNYAC) are home games. This weekend, two SUNYAC foes in Plattsburgh State (8-13, 5-9 SUNYAC) and SUNY Potsdam (17-4, 12-2 SUNYAC) come to the Max Ziel Gymnasium.

The Lakers are hitting their final stretch of games in the regular season and each game is of great importance as playoff seeding will be determined and possibly altered over the next two weeks. Tip-off vs. Plattsburgh State is Friday at 7:30 p.m. and tip-off vs. SUNY Potsdam is Saturday at 4 p.m.

Friday, Feb 14 vs. Plattsburgh State

Last Time Out

Last time the Lakers and Cardinals met, it was a fairly ugly game. The Lakers did win the game 63-44, but Oswego State head coach Jason Leone knows the team could have played much better. 

“Our game against Plattsburgh up there, we did not play very well,” Leone said. “We shot 5-30 from 3 and we were fortunate they kind of played a little worse than we did. They had a couple guys out with injuries that are key players who will be playing this Friday.”

Brandan Gartland led the way for the Lakers in the win, finishing with 14 points. Four Lakers players total finished with double figures in scoring in the win. 

For Plattsburgh State, it was Travis Cox leading the way with 14 points. Axel Rodriguez added 13 points of his own. The Cardinals shot only 29.8% from the field in the loss and shot an ugly 6-26 in the second half.

Players to Watch

Oswego State: Joe Sullivan

Sullivan has turned it up the past two games for the Lakers. Against SUNY New Paltz, Sullivan finished with 20 points and the next game vs. SUNY Cortland, he finished with 25 points. Sullivan is playing some of his best basketball of the season as of late and now leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game. Though Sullivan only scored 10 points last time out vs. the Cardinals, as he struggled, his play of late alone makes him a serious threat to score 20 points or more again tonight. 

Plattsburgh State: Travis Cox

Cox currently leads the Cardinals in scoring, averaging 17 points per game. Cox is a very streaky shooter and often struggles shooting from the field, but he gets to the free throw line and puts up a solid number of points night-in and night-out. He recently had one of his best performances of the season against SUNY Potsdam, where he scored 28 points, six rebounds and five assists. 

Prediction

The Lakers play much better this time out vs. the Cardinals and win this one 77-67. 

Saturday, Feb 15 vs. SUNY Potsdam

Last Time Out

It was a road game for the Oswego State last time it faced SUNY Potsdam, and the Bears came out with the win 77-67. Isaiah Brown played great for the Bears, as he finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Danny Delsol-Lowry finished with 19 points of his own and Jayquan Thomas added 16 points. For the Lakers, the 3-point shot was what worked for them, as they hit 12 3-pointers in the loss. Brandan Gartland scored 13 points for the Lakers; Joe Sullivan added 12 points of his own. The Bears went on a 17-2 run in the second half to make the score 69-47. The Lakers had a slight comeback late in the game with some 3-pointers from Tim Marshall, but the comeback was not enough.

Players to Watch

Oswego State: Brandan Gartland

Gartland is currently averaging 12.5 points per game while shooting 40.7% from the 3-point line. Gartland has been solid this season for the Lakers, but as a senior, he will be looked at to step up and be a leader. The 3-point shot is a serious threat for Gartland, and if he can find the bottom of the net for the Lakers, he will have a big night.

SUNY Potsdam: Isaiah Brown

Brown has been on a tear this season. He is currently averaging 22.4 points per game for the Bears, which leads the team. Brown recently erupted for 37 points against Plattsburgh State back on Feb. 4. Brown is a threat to go off for 20-plus points every single night, and this game vs. the Lakers should be no different.

Prediction

This is a tough one to predict. The team who starts strong and finishes strong is going to take this one. It is going to be a close one, but the Bears win this one 76-72.

SUNYAC Update

Updated standings as of Friday, Feb. 14:

1. The College at Brockport: 19-3 (14-1 SUNYAC)
2. SUNY Potsdam: 17-4 (12-2 SUNYAC)
3. SUNY Oneonta: 15-5 (11-2 SUNYAC)
4. Oswego State: 15-5 (9-4 SUNYAC)
5. SUNY Cortland: 13-7 (7-6 SUNYAC)
6. SUNY Geneseo: 9-13 (6-9 SUNYAC)
7. Plattsburgh State: 8-13 (5-9 SUNYAC)
8. SUNY Fredonia: 7-15 (3-12 SUNYAC)
9. Buffalo State: 4-15 (2-13 SUNYAC)
10. SUNY New Paltz: 5-15 (1-12 SUNYAC)

Other SUNYAC teams in action Friday:

• SUNY Potsdam travels to SUNY Cortland, tip-off at 7:30 p.m.
• SUNY Oneonta heads to Buffalo State, tip-off at 7:30 p.m.
• SUNY Fredonia hosts SUNY New Paltz, tip-off at 7:30 p.m.

Other SUNYAC teams in action Saturday:

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

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Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian