The Oswego State men's basketball team rode a hot first half and held off Geneseo late for a 65-58 victory on Saturday afternoon in Max Ziel Gymnasium. With the victory, the Lakers close the regular season at 13-12 overall and 10-8 in the SUNYAC while the Knights drop to 14-11, 11-7.
Prior to the contest, Oswego honored its senior class – Louis Avellino, Jamir Ferebee, Josh Ivey and Ian Schupp – with a short on-court ceremony. Ivey made the best of his final home game in the opening minutes, scoring 11 of the Lakers' first 14 points to push Oswego ahead 14-2 at the 14:09 mark. The Lakers went on to lead by as many as 17 in the first half before Geneseo trimmed the deficit to eight – 34-26 – at the break.
Oswego maintained a 6-to-11 point lead in the first eight minutes of the second half before the Knights began to threaten. Over a 8:11 period between 11:57 and 3:46, Geneseo posted a 15-4 run to capture its first lead of the game. Oswego immediately answered with a Ferebee layup but the Knights cashed in a layup to regain the lead on the next possession. That would be the last Geneseo advantage of the game as Oswego rattled off an 11-0 spurt over just 2:09 to have a 10-point advantage with just seven seconds remaining. Geneseo was able to knock down a 3-pointer just before the buzzer for the 65-58 final.
Ivey finished with a game- and career-high 22 points along with a team-high tying six rebounds to lead the Lakers. Fellow seniors Schupp and Ferebee each were in double-figures as well, scoring 13 and 10, respectively.
Tying Ivey on the glass was sophomore Brandan Gartland, gathering six caroms of his own. Oswego owned a one-rebound margin over Geneseo in the game (33-32), as Ferebee (5), Liam Sanborn (4), Tyler Pierre (4), Avellino (3) and Schupp (3) all aided in the effort.
The Lakers and Knights do not have to wait long to renew the season series, as Oswego travels to Geneseo on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. tip in the first round of the SUNYAC Championship. Oswego won the meeting at Geneseo earlier this season on a buzzer-beating jumper by Schupp.
