The Oswego State men’s basketball team (19-7, 12-6 SUNYAC) hopes to knock off No. 1-seeded The College at Brockport (22-3, 17-1 SUNYAC) on Friday in the SUNYAC semifinals.

The Lakers defeated SUNY Cortland on Tuesday 74-67 in the SUNYAC quarterfinals to set up the matchup vs. The College at Brockport. The Lakers are 0-2 against the Golden Eagles this season, but both games were very competitive and each game was decided by five points or less.

Previous Meetings This Season

In the first meeting this season, it was a road game for the Lakers. The two teams traded shots the entire game, especially in the second half. Jahidi Wallace would sink a free-throw for the Golden Eagles with eight seconds remaining to give the Golden Eagles a 68-67 lead. The Lakers would get a good look to respond, as Colby Moultrie went in for the layup but out of nowhere came Justin Summers who blocked the shot at the rim to secure the 68-67 victory for the Golden Eagles. Moultrie finished with 20 points for the Lakers. Jeremiah Sparks added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Brandan Gartland and Joe Sullivan tossed in 11 points each. Wallace scored 27 points for the Golden Eagles, while Justin Summers finished with 12 points, 14 rebounds and six rebounds as well. 

In the second meeting, The College at Brockport traveled to Oswego State for the final game of the regular season and Senior Night for the Lakers. The Golden Eagles led 42-28 after the first half, but the Lakers would not go away, as they would battle back and erase the 14-point deficit to take the lead 56-54 with 10:37 remaining. The two teams would trade shots for the remainder of the second half until the Golden Eagles led by three points with 13 seconds remaining. Moultrie hit a huge 3-pointer to tie the game and eventually send it to overtime. In overtime, the Lakers struggled, and the Golden Eagles took advantage of it. The Golden Eagles outscored the Lakers 11-6 in the period and left Max Ziel Gymnasium with a 85-80 victory. Wallace finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds in the win for the Golden Eagles, and Tyler Sullivan added 22 points. For the Lakers, Sanborn finished with 23 points. Sullivan finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds and Sparks and Gartland each scored 14 points. 

Players to Watch

Oswego State: Liam Sanborn 

Sanborn has picked up his scoring of late. He is averaging 24.5 points per game over the past two games, including a 23-point performance vs. The College at Brockport. His season average is 10.8 points per game. The 3-point shot was lethal from Sanbron in the win vs. SUNY Cortland as he shot 4-8 from beyond the arc. It will be interesting to see if Sanborn continues to be aggressive offensively and shoot the ball. 

The College at Brockport: Jahidi Wallace

Wallace is averaging 25 points per game vs. the Lakers this season, while scoring 14.4 points per game as a whole over the season. Wallace shot 10-12 from the field in the first meeting against the Lakers and 6-12 in the second meeting. Wallace has also shot 15-20 from the free-throw line in the two meetings this season. Wallace is going to get his looks and his strength of getting to the foul line allows him to get some free looks. Wallace will be a threat to score 20-plus points tonight. 

Prediction

It is hard to make a prediction with this one considering how great the previous games were. However, Oswego State will battle again, just as it did in the previous two matchups, but The College at Brockport will walk out with the win once again, 75-72. Though this is the prediction, do not be surprised if we see the Lakers pull off the upset. 

Other SUNYAC Semifinals Matchup

SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Oneonta face-off before the game between the Lakers and Golden Eagles as they tip-off at 5:30 p.m. 

Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian