The nationally-ranked Oswego State men's basketball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship with a gritty victory at home over Salem State University on Friday night.
Oswego used a stifling defense to continue its season, holding the Vikings to their second-lowest total of the year and 28.1 points below their season average.
THE BASICS
- Result: Oswego 72, Salem 59
- Location: Oswego, N.Y. – Max Ziel Gymnasium
- Records: Oswego 23-5 | Salem 18-10
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Neither team could find separation through 30 minutes but the Lakers found their groove over the final 10 minutes.
- Trailing by one with 10:38 remaining, Oswego orchestrated a 20-7 span that lasted 7:43, anchored by a pair of six points efforts from Quinn Carey and Tyler Pierre.
- During that period, the Lakers held Salem to just 20-percent shooting from the floor on 10 attempts.
- Despite fouling out with 5:17 remaining in the contest, Pierre paced Oswego with a double-double scoring a team-high 19 points coupled with a game-best 11 rebounds.
- Joining Pierre in double-figures were Quinn Carey (17), Joe Sullivan (11) and Liam Sanborn (10).
- Carey knocked down four of his 3-point attempts for a better than 40-percent night from that distance while collecting six rebounds, just one short of his season high.
- Sanborn also gathered six boards on the night and was near perfect from the charity stripe (6-for-7).
- Brandan Gartland played the full 40-minute tilt to capture nine points while Allen Durutovic scored six points off the bench, playing 26 minutes.
- Oswego's defense held Salem to just shy of 9-percent less than its season field-goal percentage and 14.9-percent worse from distance.
WHAT'S NEXT
Oswego will host Baldwin Wallace University at 7 p.m. on Saturday with a spot in the national tournament's Sweet 16 on the line. The Yellow Jackets upended Salisbury University 75-61 in the day's first game.
