UTICA, N.Y.  –  The Oswego State Men's Basketball team defeated the Utica Pioneers in the finals  of the four-team Utica University Classic, and won the four-team tournament. Devin Green and Jeremiah Sparks continued their dominant play to lead the Lakers to victory.

THE BASICS

Final Score: Oswego State 79 (9-2, SUNYAC 4-1), Utica 59 (7-2) 

Location: Miga Court, Utica, NY

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Oswego outscored Utica by ten points in the first half, fueled by a hot start from Devin Green, who scored the first four points for the Lakers. 

• Later in the first half, Jeremiah Sparks had the hot hand and scored seven unanswered points in just over two minutes.

• Sparks led the Lakers with nine points at the half. Green had six points, and Cartier Bowman had five. The Lakers led 39-29 at the break.

• The Lakers simply shot the ball better than the Pioneers in the first half, shooting 48.57% from the field while Utica could only muster 33.33%.

• The first twelve minutes of the second half showcased the scoring abilities of Sparks, Green, and Bowman. Bowman scored nine points, Green had eight, and Sparks had seven; they were the only Lakers to score during that twelve-minute stretch.

• The scoring increased Oswego's lead to 16, and Ahkee Anderson made a few shots down the stretch that kept the lead growing.

• In the end, the game was not close and the Lakers defeated the Pioneers 79-59.

• The Lakers continued to shoot the ball accurately from the field, going over 50% for the game. Utica could not answer the Lakers' shooting accuracy in the second half, similarly to the first.

• Green and Sparks both had 18 points in the game and Bowman had 16. Ahkee Anderson followed up his big first game of the tournament with another double-digit performance, scoring ten points.

WHAT'S NEXT

The men will travel to Canton, New York for a matchup with the St. Lawrence University Saints on January 3, and will look to nab double digit wins on the season.

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