Coming off of a loss to SUNY Cortland, the Oswego State men’s basketball team (16-5, 10-4 SUNYAC) snuck away with a win Friday as it defeated Plattsburgh State (8-14, 5-10 SUNYAC) 75-69.
Brandan Gartland seemed to be everywhere on the court for the Lakers tonight, as he finished with 22 points, shooting 7-14 from the field, including five 3-pointers. Fifteen of his points came in the first half. Gartland also finished with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.
“He has been a great player for us for four years,” Oswego State head coach Jason Leone said. “He embodies everything I want our program to stand for. He is a quality student. He knows all five positions on the floor. He is a ‘quiet assassin’ if you will. His highs are never too high, his lows are never too low. He is a guy you can count on every single night. The success that he is having, I could not be happier for him.”
Joe Sullivan had a big night as well for the Lakers, despite shooting 7-22 from the field. Sullivan finished 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Late in the game, the Lakers led the Cardinals 71-67 when Liam Sanborn missed a 3-pointer that was rebounded by the Cardinals who pushed it up the court but were stopped by Sullivan, who played excellent transition defense and secured a steal for the Lakers with 42 seconds remaining. Just 20 seconds later, Gartland was at the free-throw line shooting a 1-and-1 for the Lakers, who led 73-69. Gartland missed the free throw which was rebounded by Sullivan and tapped out towards the perimeter and secured by the Lakers. Sullivan would then sink two free throws with 13 seconds remaining to guarantee victory.
“Joe plays hard every single night,” Leone said. “He is a senior, he is doing what we’d hope seniors will do at this time of the year. I am really pleased with the things he did tonight.”
The bench was also a bright spot for the Lakers tonight. It was Colby Moultrie and Jamal Achille who played exceptionally well for the Lakers, providing very solid minutes throughout the game.
Moultrie came in the game and shot lights out. He finished with 14 points, hitting 4 3-pointers in only 11 minutes of action.
“Today Colby had the hot hand,” Leone said. “The last two weeks [he] has been playing some really good basketball for us and making his shots.”
Achille finished with six points and nine rebounds, playing a total of 29 minutes.
“He has really come on here the last two or three weeks, which is nice to see especially from a freshman,” Leone said. “Our ball movement is better with him in there; he makes winning plays. I have been really pleased with the things he has done in particular the last three weeks. He has solidified himself as a guy who is now getting starter minutes.”
For the Cardinals, Matt Bernhard finished with 17 points, including four 3-pointers. Travis Cox added 16 points and six rebounds, and Nick DeAngelis finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds of his own.
Next up for the Lakers is SUNY Potsdam (17-5, 12-3 SUNYAC) who are coming off of a loss to SUNY Cortland Friday night 93-88.
“Two of the things that are going to be really important against Potsdam tomorrow; it’s our ability to guard the dribble, whether it is man or zone and then our transition defense,” Leone said.
Photo by Casey Stone | The Oswegonian
