The Oswego State men’s basketball team split their weekend results in two SUNYAC matchups, losing to SUNY Brockport then dominating Buffalo State.

On Dec. 2 the Lakers endured a scrappy 47-58 loss to the Golden Eagles. While it is only their second loss of the season and first in their conference, this matches their regular season loss total from the previous campaign.

From the jump, the game was physical with neither team reaching double digits until almost halfway through the first half. Unlike their previous performance against SUNY Fredonia, the Lakers struggled to make their shots as they recorded a 23% field goal percentage in the first half. The lack of points in this matchup was made up for by the extremely physical play. Each offensive possession for both sides was a battle with players ending up on the floor or fighting for tough layups. Neither side was willing to let up on defense. At halftime, Oswego State left the court down 25-28 after two perfect three pointers from junior guard Sean Edwards were erased by a late solo surge by Brockport’s Jahidi Wallace who would lead all scorers on the night, nearly doubling that of the highest Laker, with 21 points.

The second half of the contest was more point-friendly for both sides. As defensive resiliency took a back seat to an offensive focus, the Lakers fought tooth and nail with their counterparts with the lead changing hands on nearly every scoring possession. While only being three points, Oswego State was given its largest lead of the second half as junior guard Jeremiah Sparks posterized his defender on a fast break dunk. The emphatic jam shocked the Max Ziel Gymnasium back to life. Unfortunately, not much went the Lakers way afterwards as they would fail to score a basket in the last six minutes of play. This allowed Brockport to creep back to take the lead and hold on for the 11-point victory over the reigning SUNYAC champions.

Oswego State’s head coach, Jason Leone, said that Brockport simply outplayed his squad on the night. He credited their game plan and noted how their opponents got under their skin.

“[Brockport] came out very physical, they had a game plan that they were very enthusiastic about. You could tell by the way they played defense. When you play Brockport there’s a very specific mental part of the game where you can’t let them dictate the emotions of the game which I thought got to us … we just never got comfortable,” he said.

The Lakers had little time to dwell on their loss as they played Buffalo State away from home less than 24 hours later. There was no slow start in this contest as it was clear Oswego State was determined to set the tone. Consistent domination on the offensive side of the ball was shown in their 50% field goal percentage in the first half.

Up by nearly 20 points coming out of halftime, the Lakers refused to take their foot off the pedal as the Lakers 42-point victory was their first 100-plus point performance of the season. Leone, however, was hesitant to claim the result as a statement win. As the season has had its ups and downs early on, Leone has an explanation.

“Right now our team is going through something that happens a lot of the time with veteran teams that have high expectations where I’m not sure they quite understand how to embrace those expectations,” Leone said.

He said that his team simply needs to “have fun with it” in order to get back on track. While not a “statement win,” Leone does think that it is a step in the right direction.

“I think it was a start to what we need to try to work towards doing. I don’t think the Brockport [loss] means we aren’t any good and I don’t think [the Buffalo State win] dictates that we’ve got all our problems solved,” he said.

The Lakers will hit the road for their next games in the North Country. They will take on the SUNY Potsdam Bears on Dec. 10 and the Plattsburgh State Cardinals the next day.

Photo Provided by oswegolakers.com