Hayden Ward (Sr., Montauk, N.Y.) once again paced the Oswego State men's basketball team (6-1, 2-1 SUNYAC) with his third double-double of the season (22 points and 11 rebounds), as the Lakers defeated host Ithaca (3-3) 64-58 on Saturday.
The Bombers led early, but Oswego State took its first lead just over five minutes into the game and they never surrendered it. The game remained close late in the first half, but Ward buried a three-pointer in the waning moments of the stanza off a pass from Sean Michele (Sr., East Rochester, N.Y.) to give the Lakers a six-point advantage at halftime.
Oswego State began the second half on a 19-7 run, which was sparked by four points from Elijiah McLaurin (Fr., Poughkeepsie, N.Y.). Ward followed it up by hitting back-to-back treys and the run ended with an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Lakers a 46-28 lead.
Ithaca's Frank Mitchell scored 13 of his game-high 26 points in the next 10 minutes to drop the margin to two with 1:42 remaining. Ward responded with a jumper and Oswego State hit four straight free throws to seal the six-point triumph.
Five other Lakers scored at least six points in a balanced attack, with senior Chris Gilkes (Syracuse, N.Y.) leading the pack with 12. Oswego State shot 44 percent from the field compared to just 36.8 percent for Ithaca.
The Lakers try to keep the streak alive at Cazenovia at 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 14.
For complete box score, click here: Box Score
