Laker basketball is back in action as the women’s team had their season opener on Nov. 8 which kicked off their 2022-23 campaign.
In the first game of the season, Oswego State traveled to the Hafner Recreation Center in Hamburg to take on Hilbert College. The Lakers made a statement early as they shut down the Hawks’ shooters and took a 23-9 lead after the first quarter. Oswego State’s offense slowed down in the second quarter, but they were still able to go into halftime with a 35-30 lead. The Lakers dominated the stat sheet at halftime out rebounding the Hawks 30-17 which was a significant factor for the Lakers 16 second-chance points. Oswego State’s defense remained sharp, holding Hilbert College to 2-9 from beyond the arc. The Lakers would continue to apply offensive pressure until the final buzzer sounded with the score ending at 78-63.
The Lakers would finish with 40% shooting from the field, 23 second-chance points, and eight steals. Hilbert College was held to 33.3% shooting from the field, 50% from the free throw line, and seven bench points. Sophomore Diamond Pickett would have a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds with a 70% field goal percentage. Karleigh Leo would record the team-high in points with 20 while going 4-9 from three.
Oswego State will start the season 1-0 and look to bounce back this year after going 5-19 in their 2021-22 season. The team averaged 55.9 points per game on 32.4% shooting from the field last year.
Head coach Sean Pinkerton will look for some key returning players to help the Lakers be competitive in the SUNYAC. Sophomore Shania Iglesias will be the highest-scoring returner, averaging 9.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 22 minutes per game. Pickett led the team in rebounding with 9.7 per game and a shooting percentage of 48%. Pinkerton will also have Chastin Giles who led the team in three-point percentage with 33% returning.
Oswego State will look to build momentum early in the season as they will host Keystone College, Morrisville State and SUNY Poly for the Max Ziel tournament on Nov. 11 and 12. Their first opponent will be Keystone College at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 11. Their next game will either be against SUNY Poly or Morrisville State on Nov. 12. The Lakers are 16-2 all-time and average 75.3 points per game against SUNY Poly. If they play Morrisville State it will only be the teams’ third time ever meeting as both teams are 1-1 against each other.
Photo via Oswego Athletics
