The Oswego State men and women's basketball team had to wait a day to face Cortland on the hardwood, but it was worth the wait as the Lakers swept the visiting Red Dragons on Sunday, Jan. 23. The game was originally slated for Saturday, but was postponed due to bad weather. Oswego State won the men's game by the score of 67-65, while the Laker women posted a 54-47 victory.
In the men's game, Oswego State used a strong second half to erase a 41-34 deficit at the break thanks in part to a 10-0 run to start the final 20 minutes. The Lakers then had to hold on leading 64-57 with just over five minutes remaining as Cortland made a final push.
Nicholas Perioli (Liverpool) paced Oswego State with 19 points, while
Ahmad Mims (North Syracuse) scored 17.
Mat Burridge (Hannibal) nearly had a double-double as he had nine points and 12 rebounds.
Cortland's Brian Kirchhoff (Webster) led all scorers as the junior finished with 24, including a 6-for-9 performance from 3-point range. Simon Skrelja (Hastings-on-Hudson) added 12 points and Justin O'Garrow (Port Washington) added 11.
The win puts the Lakers at 14-2 overall and 6-2 in the SUNY Athletic Conference, while Cortland dipped to 9-6 and 4-2 in the conference.
The Oswego State women handed Cortland its first conference loss of the season in a showdown for first place. The Lakers are now 7-1 in the SUNYAC, while the Red Dragons are 5-1. Overall, Oswego State is 13-1 and Cortland is 11-3.
At the break, the hosts led 25-20, but the Red Dragons netted the first seven points of the half to grab a two-point advantage. The Lakers then went ahead for good scoring the game's next 12 points.
Oswego State's
Kelly Mraz (Johnstown) led all scorers with 19 points and
Sarah Lombard added 16 points and nine rebounds.
For Cortland, Dani Maye (Kirkwood) was the lone Red Dragon to score in double figures finishing with 14 points.
Both Laker teams will face the Red Dragons again on Friday, Jan. 28, this time in Cortland. The women's game will start at 6 p.m. with the men's game tabbed for 8 p.m.
