The Potsdam Bears shot a torrid 52.3 percent from the field and defeated Oswego State 82-68 on Tuesday at Jerry Welsh Gymnasium in Potsdam. The game was televised live on Time Warner Sports channel 26 in central and northern New York.

Potsdam came out on fire right from the opening tip-off, built an early 11-2 lead, and led by double-digits for most of the first half. The Lakers whittled the margin to just two points in the final minute of the first half but a 3-pointer by Potsdam's Damon Brown as the halftime buzzer sounded gave the Bears a 36-31 lead at the break.

Ahmad Mims had 15 points to lead the Lakers. Mat Burridge scored 14 points and Todd Franze added 12. Edane Barton led the Bears with 29 points and Brandon Siskavich scored 18.

Kyle Reuter's 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3:21 remaining in the contest was the first Laker trifecta of the night after they missed their first 15 3-point attempts. Oswego State finished the game 4-for-21 from behind the arc.

The Bears pulled to within one game of the Lakers for second place in the SUNYAC with the victory. Oswego State is 11-4 in conference play and 18-6 overall, while Potsdam is 10-5 in the league and 15-9 overall.

Oswego State wraps up its regular season on Saturday at Brockport in an 8 p.m. game. The Golden Eagles are tied for third place with Potsdam with a 10-5 SUNYAC record.