The Oswego State men's basketball team pulled away in the second half and defeated the host Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers 81-68 on Saturday afternoon in the championship game of the Harold J. Brodie Tournament at Clark Gym in Rochester.

Four of Oswego State's starters scored in double figures and the Lakers forced 20 RIT turnovers in the win, holding RIT 13 points below its season scoring average.

The game was tied 38-38 at halftime but Oswego State's defense came to the fore in the second half. The Lakers held the Tigers to 11-for-26 shooting from the field including 0-for-5 from behind the 3-point line, forced 11 turnovers, and held a 21-15 rebounding advantage over the last 20 minutes.

Tommy Downing led the Lakers with 21 points on the afternoon and was named as the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Nick Perioli and Mahamoud Jabbi were also named to the all-tournament team.

Joining Downing in double-digit scoring for the Lakers were Jabbi (14), Reuter (12), and Dom White (10). Perioli had seven points and 10 assists in the game and Kendrick Pollard (9 points) and Marshall Jones (8 points) provided scoring contributions off the bench.

RIT was led by Mark Carson with 23 points and 14 rebounds.

The Lakers head into a break in the schedule with a 6-2 overall record through their first eight games. RIT fell to 5-5 overall. Oswego State's next game is Jan. 8 at St. Lawrence. The Lakers will then return to SUNYAC action with games against New Paltz and Oneonta Jan. 11-12 at Max Ziel Gymnasium.