The Oswego State men's basketball team dominated Cazenovia College on its way to a 89-63 victory on the road Friday night. After the win, the Lakers improve to 5-2 while the Wildcats fall to 3-4.
Trailing 19-16 halfway through the opening period, Brian Sortino hit a 3-pointer the kick started a 13-0 Oswego run over 5:32 that gained it control of the game for good. During that span, Matt Crockett had five-straight points on a jumper and trey, with the jumper giving the Lakers a lead it would not relinquish.
Oswego headed to the break with a 15-point advantage at 45-30 behind Sortino's 13 points, which included nine of those on 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc. Walter Sampson chipped in 11 points while Rashawn Powell grabbed a team-best five boards in the opening 20 minutes.
In the second half, the lead grew to as many as 31 as Oswego carrier the momentum over the final 20 minutes of regulation.
Sortino led all scorers on the night, notching 23 points in the game. The sophomore guard finished 5-for-6 (83.3%) from downtown, setting a new career-high for 3-pointers made in a game. Also making new career-marks on the night was fellow guard Walter Sampson. The junior set career-bests with 20 points and five assists against the Wildcats.
Powell paced the team on the glass, collecting nine rebounds while chipping in six points. Crockett finished with nine points while Alex Rawa and Keith Tyson both accumulated eight points on the night.
As a team, the Lakers continued its solid play on the defensive end of the floor, holding Cazenovia to 40.0% shooting (24-for-60) during the game. Oswego only allowed the Wildcats two made 3-pointers on 11 attempts over the 40 minutes (18.2%). The stingy defense also forced its opponents into 18 turnovers.
Oswego will now take a short break for the holidays before getting back on the court In Daytona, Fla. for the Land of Magic Classic. The first of its two games in Florida will begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 28 against Haverford College.
