Down 39-21 at the half, the Oswego Lakers men's basketball team never managed to claw back into the game against the top-seeded Potsdam Bears, ultimately losing 74-61 on Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. Potsdam, with the win, repeats as SUNY Athletic Conference champions and gets the automatic bid for the upcoming NCAA Division III Tournament while denying Oswego their first SUNYAC championship in the program's history.

The Lakers trailed by as many as 25 points in the second half as the Bears were relentless from the field, shooting 62 percent from three-point land over the course of the game. Potsdam never trailed from the opening tip-off.

The Lakers' (22-6) fate is now in the hands of the NCAA Tournament selection committee to see if they earn an at-large bid. That information can be found at the NCAA Web site, [url=http://ncaasports.com/basketball/mens]http://ncaasports.com/basketball/mens[/url] after 10 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27.  Ranked fourth in the region, the Lakers will need to see how Rochester and St. John Fisher end their seasons.

Potsdam dominated the entire game thanks to Edane Barton (Spring Valley), the tournament MVP, who finished with 28 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block for the Bears.  Jim Connelly contributed 14 points and eight rebounds in the winning effort.

Dave Ponza (Solvay) led the Lakers with 21 points and seven rebounds. Ben Oliver (Batavia) finished with 16 points, five rebounds and went 5 for 6 from the charity stripe.

Upon the game's conclusion, Ponza and Oliver were selected for the SUNYAC All-Tournament team. Potsdam's Eldon Harris and Plattsburgh?s Kris Gibbs-Smith and Jelani Simmons were also selected for their outstanding SUNYAC postseason play.

The Lakers defeated the Bears earlier in the season at Laker Hall by a score of 84-71. The game featured an Oswego season-high 57 percent (8-for-14) shooting from behind the three-point arc. Comparably, the Lakers shot just 29 percent (5-for-17) from three-land against Potsdam in the championship game.