The Oswego State men's basketball team handed the visiting St. Lawrence University Saints a 62-58 loss on Friday evening at Max Ziel Gymnasium. With the win, Oswego collects its second-straight victory on the season and sits above .500 at 2-1.
To start the contest, both teams battled hard with nine lead changes taking place in the first 11 minutes of play. Sophomore Brian Sortino hit a mid-range jump-shot at the top of the key to spark a 17-5 Laker run over the final 8:11 in the first half. The 6-foot-2 guard led Oswego with eight first-half points.
Fellow guard Kyle Covley added to Oswego's late first-half run with five points and four rebounds to take the Lakers into the locker room with a 34-24 advantage.
The Lakers started the second half by picking up right where they left off. Sortino anticipated and stole a pass that led to an easy layup to add to his eventual game-high 17 points.
Oswego's Rashawn Powell capped a 9-0 run in the second half when the 6-foot-4 forward sold the defender with a head fake, leading to an easy basket with 7:22 left to play. Powell's basket pushed the Lakers to a 17-point lead, their largest lead of the night. The senior finished the night with 16 points and a eight rebounds.
The Lakers were able to grab a win in large part due to solid free-throw shooting, as the team shot a 77.3% (17-of-22) from the charity stripe.
On the boards, Matt Crockett led all rebounders with a career-high 10 caroms. Powell was next with the eight while Covley nabbed five. Covley also had a team-high three blocks on the night.
Oswego will return to action at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday to host Clarkson University before a short Thanksgiving break.
