The Oswego State women’s basketball team was on the road facing two SUNYAC rivals in SUNY Geneseo and SUNY Brockport on Feb. 9 and 10.

The first matchup was against the Geneseo Knights as the Lakers kept up for the first quarter. After bad shooting and turnovers however, the Knights pulled away and dominated the Lakers.

The first few minutes of the first quarter were very defensive, as the first score did not come in until eight minutes were left on the clock. Defense was the narrative until the final minutes of the quarter until each team hit shot after shot. The teams were tied 14-14 until Macey DeOrdio hit a buzzer-beating layup to end the quarter. 

The Knights took the lead in the second quarter as the Lakers committed seven turnovers and shot 28% from the field. However, even with these woes, the Lakers were still in it heading into the half. After the Knights hit two free throws with two minutes left, the scoring ended with the Lakers down six, the score being 33-27 heading into halftime. The Lakers did not score for the final four minutes of the second quarter.

In the third, the Lakers slowly chipped at the lead the Knights had. That lead dipped down to three before back to back layups by the Knights brought the deficit to seven. However, the Lakers kept chipping again, as Elaina Johnson hit two jumpers to bring it back to three. In the final two minutes, the Knights hit a three, then another one and then another one, crushing the Lakers as they headed into the fourth down 12 with the score being 50-38.

The Lakers headed into the fourth already feeling defeated, but shooting 14% pushed them down even more. The Lakers offense scored a game-low five points in the fourth quarter as they lost to the Knights on the road. The Lakers did not attempt a free throw the entire night as the Lakers lost 74-43.

The Lakers moved on to face the Brockport Golden Eagles next. This game was also not favorable for the Lakers, as they could not keep up with the Golden Eagles’ high-tempo offense. The Lakers lost this matchup 71-55.

The Lakers did not hesitate to score in this one, as Zhane Holmes knocked down a three 15 seconds into the first quarter. Missed shots by the Lakers mixed with great 3-point shooting by the Golden Eagles was not a recipe for success. The Lakers found themselves down 10-3 mere minutes after opening the game up hot. The Lakers did not hit a shot from the field until there was three minutes left to play in the first quarter. Logan Castiglione tried to light the fuse of the Lakers’ offense in these final minutes, grabbing boards, steals and knocking down a 3-pointer. It was to no avail as the Lakers were down 24-12 heading into the second quarter. 

The Golden Eagles’ lead jumped to 15 early in the second quarter after a couple 3-pointers, and it looked like the Lakers were out of it. Five points by Giavanna White-Principio later, and the Lakers looked like they were crawling their way back in. After a couple jumpers by Johnson, suddenly the lead dropped to eight. 40 seconds later, Julie Tanenblatt splashed a 3-pointer and the lead cut to five. Scoring from both sides ensued, but after a free throw by Tanenblatt, the Lakers were on the cusp of a lead, only down by two. The period ended with a layup by White-Principio, as the Lakers tied it up 34-34 heading into halftime.

The Lakers came out of the half with a ton of energy, responding to each of the Golden Eagles’ scores. With 5:30 left on the clock, Holmes broke out on a fastbreak and knocked down a layup which gave the Lakers their first lead since the opening seconds of the game. The lead was tossed around, but the Lakers ended up with it after a 3-pointer from Karleigh Leo. The Lakers led the Golden Eagles 48-46 heading into the final quarter.

The shooting woes in the fourth quarter caught up to the Lakers again, as they shot 15% from the field and their first points came with five minutes left in the game. The Lakers lost at Brockport on the road, scoring seven points to the Golden Eagles’ 25. The positive spot: DeOrdio scored her 1000th career point against the Golden Eagles that evening. 

The Lakers finish up their regular season at home as they face SUNY Fredonia and Buffalo State on Feb. 16 and 17.

Photo by: Oswego Athletics