The Oswego State women’s basketball team fought to the end in a season-opening defeat at the hands of St. Lawrence University on Tuesday, Nov. 11.

The Lakers established the first score of the game, as Sydney Hoefs sunk a triple, three minutes into the first period. The Saints quickly came alive though, as a plethora of buckets from Elizabeth Flynn and Annie Perry helped the team go on a 19-7 run. 

The Lakers had trouble counteracting the heavy offensive raid applied by their opposition, as the Saints were able to score on all three levels. Turnovers proved to be costly for the Lakers, too, and the visiting squad went into the first break with a 24-15 lead.

Foward, Giavanna White-Principio, was a significant player for the Lakers, as the senior put forth seven points and nine rebounds through the second quarter. She aided her home-squad in continually chipping away at the deficit, as the Lakers outscored the Saints 15-12 in the second period, entering halftime down just six points.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, that newfound energy was quickly dissipated in the new half, as they struggled to find footing. Scoring was hard to come by, while defensive lapses allowed the Saints to drop buckets in left and right. Furthermore, turnovers were yet again a prevalent issue and the Saints went into the final period with a comfortable 50-38 lead.

Even with all of the previous struggles, the Lakers did not go down without a fight. White-Principio and Hoefs remained the two biggest scoring leaders for the Lakers, while the two were also able to turn defense into offense. However, their individual efforts were not enough to suffice for the lack of scoring depth from the Lakers and the closest they got to the Saints was within five points, but with only 43 seconds to go. The Saints did not let up, and put the finishing touches on a 65-58 victory.

Jackie Malley, Flynn and Perry collaborated to carry the squad, as the three combined for 47 points over four quarters of play. Furthermore, Flynn grabbed 12 rebounds, notching her second double-double of the new season. 

The Lakers have a quick turnaround, as they hit the road to Clinton to face off against St. John Fisher on Friday, Nov. 14 in their first game of the Hamilton Tournament at 5 p.m.