People filled the bleachers of the Max Ziel Gymnasium as the Oswego State men’s basketball team (18-7, 12-6 SUNYAC) pushed No. 25 The College at Brockport (22-3, 17-1 SUNYAC) to the limit Saturday but lost in overtime 85-80 on Senior Night.
Liam Sanborn led the way for the Lakers with 23 points, and Joe Sullivan finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds on his Senior Night. Jeremiah Sparks and Brandan Gartland finished with 14 points a piece, and Colby Moultrie added nine points of his own.
For the Golden Eagles, Jahidi Wallace led the way with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Tyler Sullivan added 22 points as well.
“We congratulate Brockport, they have clearly been the best team in the league all year,” Oswego State head coach Jason Leone said. “I was really happy with our effort, and the way we came back in the second half, I thought that showed me some really good things about our team.”
The College at Brockport took a 14-point lead into the second half 42-28 after it went on an 18-4 run to end the first half. Oswego State came out strong in the second half, as it went on a 28-12 run to open the half which gave the Lakers a 56-54 lead with 10:37 to go.
Emotions ran high throughout the remainder of the half, as both teams traded buckets. The Golden Eagles led 74-71 with under 20 seconds remaining, but the Lakers had possession. A shaky offensive possession came down to a loose ball which nearly wound up in the hands of the Golden Eagles, but it found the hands of Moultire who sunk a 3-pointer to tie the game with 12.8 seconds remaining.
The Golden Eagles had final possession but good defense from the Lakers forced overtime as Tyler Collins missed a shot at the buzzer.
Officiating certainly had an impact on the game tonight, as there were 40 total fouls in the game, and The College at Brockport received three technical fouls in the second half. Sullivan also fouled out for the Lakers with 2:10 remaining in the game. Despite this, Leone thought the officials handled the emotions of the game very well.
“I thought they were a good crew,’ Leone said. “They did a good job.”
In overtime, the Golden Eagles came out strong and went on a quick 6-0 run. The Lakers would battle with a couple buckets from Sanborn, but it would not be enough to come back.
Despite the loss, there are a lot of good things to take from a tough game at this point of the season according to Leone.
“Brandon, Joe and Liam have been guys we’ve been counting on for two years, but this is a very valuable experience for our younger guys to go through in particular Jeremiah, Jamal and Colby,” Leone said. “Those guys continue to get better and I think the future is very bright for our program.”
The Lakers secured a first-round home game of the SUNYAC tournament. The Lakers will host SUNY Cortland Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Lakers are 1-1 vs. the Red Dragons this season, and Leone is fully confident in his players.
“I am really proud of our team and happy with the season we have thus far, and I am excited to see what we can do Tuesday,” Leone said. “At this point of the season it is more about our guys going out and making plays which I am confident our guys will do on Tuesday.”
Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian
