Oswego State Athletics

Canton, N.Y. - Oswego went on the road and held off St. Lawrence 74-72 on Tuesday night, winning despite the Saints making 16 three-pointers.

Basics
Oswego: 74 (3-0, 0-0 SUNYAC)
St. Lawrence: 72 (0-1, 0-0 Liberty League)
Location: Appleton Arena | Canton, NY

How it Happened
The Saints started off scoring consecutive three-pointers by Connor Parkes and Colton Suriano for a 6-0 lead. The Lakers replied with a 9-2 run, with Deacon Judd and Jayson McGhee each scoring. Free throws by Jayson McGhee made the score 9-9 when there was still 14:56 left on the clock. McGhee got his second free throw in which his team had the advantage, with their advantage increasing to 18-13 by two more layups by Arthur Foster. St. Lawrence concluded the half on a 23-10 run, with Parkes leading the way by contributing 11 of his 22 points in the first half. Troy McPherson added six points for the Saints in the last minute of the half, including a three-point shot at 1:16, taking St. Lawrence into halftime with a 40-37 lead.

The Saints expanded their lead to 45-39 early in the second half. McGhee scored six unanswered Lakers' points to narrow it down to 45-43 and evened the score at 45-45 through his layup at 16:37. Oswego led 47-45 after a layup by Judd, but St. Lawrence responded with threes from Patrick Ricca and Parkes and went on to take a 56-50 lead with 12:13 remaining.

Oswego fired back with a 9-0 burst. McGhee drained a three, Foster scored on a layup, and Gary McLane's jumper gave the Lakers a 57-56 advantage with 9:55 left to play. The Lakers were never behind after that point. Parkes knotted the score at 61-61 with a three-pointer with 8:40 left, but McLane answered with a three-point shot, and Foster's layup gave the Lakers a 66-63 advantage. Gasper's layup with 4:48 left gave Oswego a 70-64 edge, and Foster's two free throws with 3:37 remaining put the Lakers ahead 72-67. Aidan Phelan brought the lead down to 72-69 with two free throws, and McGhee's layup with 2:08 to play made the score 74-69. Parkes sank a three-pointer with 1:12 left, and neither side scored again.

Oswego was able to score 46-20 from the paint and 18-7 from second-chance opportunities while getting 12 offensive rebounds to St. Lawrence's six. Also, Oswego recorded 12 turnovers to St. Lawrence's seven and 12 points from turnovers to St. Lawrence's six while blocking 4 shots compared to the Saints' 1. The shooting percentage for both teams from three-point shots was almost even, but St. Lawrence had 51.6% compared to Oswego's 31.6%.

Foster and McGhee each tallied 15 points to be the top scorers for the Lakers. Foster was 6-of-10 shooting and pulled down eight rebounds, while McGhee hit four free throws. Steven Bradley also scored 13 points, including three three-pointers, Gasper added 12 points with two blocks, and Judd grabbed 11 rebounds, six of which were offensive.

What's Next
The Lakers return home to face Nazareth in the Marks Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout on Thursday, November 19, at 7:30 p.m. in Max Ziel Gymnasium. 

Written By: Coby Zitron