The Oswego State men’s basketball team will look to complete the weekend sweep of its first weekend of conference play against Buffalo State on Saturday.
The Lakers are coming off a dramatic victory against the SUNY Fredonia Blue Devils on Friday night. They won by a score of 63-62 with the defense holding firm on the closing possessions.
It was the first game and victory for the Lakers within the SUNYAC this year, and the win pushed their record to above .500 at 3-2. The win against the Blue Devils saw the Lakers spread out their scoring as eight different players registered points on the stat sheet by halftime.
The Lakers welcome the Bengals on Saturday afternoon as they look to go 2-0 to start conference play. They began last season with a 2-0 mark within the conference as well.
The Bengals, like the Blue Devils, have had two contests canceled due to the massive snow that hit Buffalo Thanksgiving week, thus they have only played three game in this young season, going 1-2. The Bengals are coming off a loss to SUNY Cortland on Friday, 78-69. While the Lakers will be looking for their second straight win in the SUNYAC, the Bengals will be looking for their first.
The Bengals are coming off a sluggish campaign last year in which they went 12-13 overall and 8-10 in the SUNYAC. The Lakers defeated the Bengals in both contests between the teams last season. The Lakers won comfortably at home, 84-69. They also defeated the Bengals in their building in a close matchup, escaping with a 72-70 victory.
Coming off a 21 rebound performance, in which he also scored the game-winning basket, look for senior Rashawn Powell to continue to establish himself on the inside in the contest. He is the Lakers leading rebounder at 12.4 per game.
The defense for the Lakers looked a little off its game against SUNY Fredonia, but Head coach Jason Leone said that that will come due to the team trying to play a quicker pace of basketball so that they can get the shots they are looking for.
The Lakers have won eight of their last nine contests with the Bengals and will look to make nine of ten on Saturday.
The game tips off at 2 p.m. at the Max Ziel Gymnasium in Laker Hall.
By the numbers
8- Number of different scorers for the Lakers on Friday just at the half. Look for the Lakers to try and score early and often as they attempt to build offensively.
9- The Lakers are looking for their ninth win in the last 10 contest against the Bengals.
21- The number of rebounds Laker senior Rashawn Powell grabbed in the victory against SUNY Fredonia. Look for him to be a presence in Saturday’s matchup.
63- The number of points scored against SUNY Fredonia by the Lakers. It was their highest point total of the season thus far. Look for the Lakers to build on last night’s performance offensively as they look to get in sync. The scoring may be down from last season, but the team’s confidence is at a good place right now.
