Hayden Ward (Sr., Montauk, N.Y.) turned in 18 points and 12 rebounds to power the Oswego State men's basketball team (16-5, 9-5 SUNYAC) past New Paltz (8-13, 6-8), 74-57, at Max Ziel Gymnasium on Tuesday night, Feb. 5.
The Lakers scored 19 points off turnovers, compared to just two by their opponents en route to sweeping the season series with the Hawks. Oswego State is currently fourth in the State University of New York Athletic Conference standings, sitting a half-game back of Plattsburgh.
The Lakers raced out of the gate, starting the game on a 19-8 run behind two Kyle Covley (Fr., Penfield, N.Y.) three-pointers. However, the Hawks hung tight for the rest of the stanza, hitting all eight attempts for the charity stripe. Despite committing eight turnovers, which led to 10 Oswego State points, the Hawks only trailed 34-24 at the break.
The Lakers were once again the better team at the beginning of the second half, opening up a 22-point lead with a 16-4 run in the first 5:22 of the period. The run was capped off with a jumper by Alex Mirabito (Sr., Oneonta, N.Y.), who finished the game with a career-high 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting.
The Lakers rode out the game with their big lead, forcing seven more turnovers in the second half and holding the Hawks to 32.7 percent shooting from the field. Every Laker played in the contest, with 12 different players scoring in the game.
Daniel Ross (Jr., Syracuse, N.Y.) filled up the stat sheet with nine points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists. Matt Devine led the Hawks with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Kevin Roach pitched in 13 points of his own.
The Lakers hit the road on Friday night, Feb. 8, as they travel to Cortland to face off with the Red Dragons at 8 p.m.
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