Box Score

It was déjà vu for the Oswego State women's basketball team on Saturday against Buffalo State, as a pair of free throws by the Bengals' Jessica Clark with two seconds remaining sealed a 60-58 win for Buffalo State. The heartbreaking loss in the regular season finale dropped the Lakers to 13-12 and 10-9 in the SUNYAC. The Bengals improved to 12-13 on the season and 7-11 in the conference. With the loss, the Lakers became the fifth seed in the SUNYAC Tournament and will travel to Geneseo on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for the quarterfinal round.

It was another hard fought battle for the Lakers throughout the first half.  Both teams exchanged buckets for the first ten minutes before Buffalo State began to pull away as a 6-0 run gave it an 11-point lead—the largest of the game.  Oswego State did not back down, though, as Kristen Diglio connected on a pair of three-pointers to bring the Lakers to within five.  The treys sparked an 11-5 run for the Lakers to close the half, but the Bengals managed to hold a slim 25-23 lead heading into the locker rooms. 

Sharp-shooter Kayla Ryan took over in the second half for the Lakers, scoring 12 of her game-high 21 points.  Ryan was 7-of-8 from the free throw line, which was the major story of the half.  Both teams shot over 70 percent from the charity stripe, but another run gave the Bengals the advantage.  Oswego State had to play from behind once again and ran out of gas down the stretch. 

With the score knotted at 58 and just 25 seconds remaining, the Lakers had possession of the ball and time for one more play.  A missed lay-up opportunity, however, forced them to foul with the clock winding down.  The Bengals continued their hot free throw shooting and sealed the victory at the line with Clark's free throws.

Ryan was the only Oswego State player to reach double-digits, while Buffalo State was led by Jessica Clark and Staci McElory, who scored 15 and 12 points, respectively.