The Oswego State men's basketball team's undefeated streak to open the 2018-19 season came to a close at the hands of Emory University in the opening round of the Emory Holiday Classic on Saturday afternoon.
It was a true meeting of perennial powers as Emory has reached the NCAA Championship each of the last six seasons while the Lakers appeared in three of the last four. The Eagles began the year ranked 18th nationally while Oswego was on the cusp of entering the top 25 heading into Saturday's tilt, receiving 28 votes.
THE BASICS
- Result: Emory 91, Oswego 73
- Location: Woodruff PE Center – Atlanta, Ga.
- Records: Emory (8-2) | Oswego (9-1)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Both teams traded leads in the early going, with the Lakers and Eagles tied at 13-13 with 12:34 remaining in the opening period.
- Over the next nearly six minutes, Emory posted a 15-1 run to gain control of the contest on its home floor.
- The 14-point margin grew to as many as 19 before the break and 23 in the game but the Lakers would not go without a fight.
- In the second half, the two teams played an even 20 minutes, with the Eagles outscoring Oswego by just one, 50-49.
- The stanza included an impressive run by the Lakers to cut the deficit to single digits.
- During a four-minute spurt between 13:08 and 8:52, Oswego outscored Emory 17-6 to cut the contest to a manageable nine-point margin.
- The Eagles weathered the Laker comeback push and finished out the final eight minutes for the victory.
- Five Lakers scored in double figures, led by a pair of 14-point efforts from Brandan Gartland and Quinn Carey.
- Tyler Pierre earned his third double-double of the season, recording 11 points to go along with a game-high 14 boards. The senior was solid on both sides of the floor, collecting seven boards on the offensive and defensive glass.
- Joe Sullivan narrowly missed a double-double, scoring 12 points on 3-for-6 shooting while grabbing nine caroms.
- Rounding out the double-figure scorers was Julien Crittendon, matching Pierre's total of 11.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Lakers will close its 2018 portion of the schedule with a 2 p.m. matchup on Sunday with Denison University on the final day of the Emory Holiday Classic.
