By Spencer Bates

Oswego State men’s basketball split their games in SUNYAC matchups for the first time this season on Feb. 11 and 12.

The Lakers entered the Hawks Center at SUNY New Paltz undefeated in the SUNYAC and ranked No. 14 in the nation. Coming off a win in which the team scored their second highest point total in a game this season, Oswego State would be hoping to dismiss a Hawks team that they beat by nearly 30 points already this season.

However, the story was different this time around with the Hawks coming away victorious and handing the Lakers their first SUNYAC defeat of the season in a tightly contested matchup that ended with a score of 64-63. The game came down to the wire with the Hawks scoring a game winning layup courtesy of Isaiah Bien-Aise with five seconds left.

Both teams had three players score in the double digits with Jeremiah Sparks, Ahkee Anderson and Jamal Achille combining for 37 of the Lakers’ points and for the Hawks, Bien-Aise, Sean St. Lucia and Lucas Seyoum combined for 38 points. Sparks put up an impressive individual performance adding five assists and four rebounds on top of his team-high 15 points.

What upended the Lakers was the Hawks’ efficiency from the field. Despite shooting a mere 26.3% from 3-point range, they were impressive from everywhere inside the arc, shooting just over 43% from the field. Oswego State emphasis on defensive production faltered as the Hawks beat the Lakers on second chance points and rebounds.

Courtesy of the Hawks, the Lakers 17-game win streak was shattered. However, the team refused to be kept down after getting dealt their first blow of the season. On Feb. 12 the Lakers visited the Dewar Arena at SUNY Oneonta where they bounced back, winning the game with a score of 63-53.

For the Lakers in this game, Devin Green’s ability was on full display as he scored an impressive 19 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. Green was one of only two members of the team who scored double digits in this outing. Sparks added 10 points to the total. Falling just short of the double digit mark was Achille and Brendan Mulson who combined for 18 points. Three players for the Red Dragons, Dylan Trombley, Frankie Williams and Michael Ortale, all reached double digits scoring 15, 14 and 11 respectively. 

An efficient output on the offensive and defensive end allowed Oswego State to score 10 more points from bench players than their counterparts while also dominating in fastbreak points and points in the paint. The Lakers shot an impressive 42.6% from the field while also holding the Red Dragons to 27.5% and an even worse 19% from beyond the three point arc.

An area that the Lakers will look to improve in is their free throw percentage. The team only converted slightly over half of their free throws in the matchup, a possible 11 points that could have been added onto the score for Oswego State, wasted.

The slight bump in the road that was this past weekend’s games resulted in the Lakers falling in the national ranking to No. 19. However, with the win over SUNY Oneonta, the team has secured the top seed for the SUNYAC tournament and a first round bye. They will await the winner of the matchup between the third and sixth ranked teams. 

On Feb. 18, SUNY Brockport will make their way to the Max Ziel Gymnasium for Oswego State’s penultimate regular season matchup at 7:30 p.m. The last time these two teams played the Lakers pulled off an impressive 27 point win. The following day the team will close out the regular season at home against SUNY Fredonia at 5 p.m.

Photos provided by Oswego State Athletics