The Oswego State men’s basketball team conquered their most recent three-game home stretch, picking up double-digit wins over SUNY Fredonia, Buffalo State University and SUNY Morrisville.

Oswego welcomed in Fredonia Friday, Feb. 20 and showcased dominance from the get-go, ultimately bringing home their largest margin of victory on the season.

The two teams were knotted up 11-11 with 14:30 remaining in the first half, before the Lakers used a dynamic attack to explode on a 10-0 run and take a 21-11 lead. The Blue Devils made a valiant effort of clawing back into the swing of things, but the home squads’ momentum was too powerful. The Lakers, courtesy of 16 first-half points from Deacon Judd, took a comfortable 45-27 lead heading into the break.

Their pace did not let up in the second half, as the Lakers built an emphatic 30-point lead just 10 minutes in. Furthermore, they forced the Blue Devils to shoot 5-of-15 from the field over that span of time. The Lakers commanded the tempo even more in the final 10 minutes to close the contest out on a 27-18 run, finalizing a 39-point home win.

In the final game of the regular season the next evening, Feb. 21, the Lakers stayed home and constructed a 15-point win over Buffalo State.

The two competitors were close in the first half, with the Lakers leading by just one point at the halfway mark. They then built that advantage into five points at halftime, helped by a combined 20 points and five steals from Arthur Foster and Steven Bradley going into halftime.

The Lakers delivered a firm second half, opening up on a 24-11 run to take their largest lead of the game at 73-53 after 10 minutes. Despite then shooting an efficient 57% from the field in the latter stages of the final period, the Bengals ultimately could not find their footing on defense to stop the Lakers’ raid. From there, Oswego put the finishing touches on a 90-75 victory.

The No. 2 Lakers opened up the postseason in ideal fashion, staying at home to down the No. 6 Morrisville Mustangs, 87-66, on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

The Lakers opened up on an 11-4 lead, courtesy of a versatile scoring flurry. The Mustangs quickly stampeded back and came within three at one point. The Lakers found themselves at an uncharacteristic neck-and-neck pace with their opponent to close out the first half, holding a 29-20 lead going into the break.

The second half told a much different story than the one previous, however. The Lakers cleaned up their playstyle in all facets, outscoring the Mustangs 31-18 within the first 10 minutes to take a 60-38 lead. Their defense remained aggressive, closing out well on the perimeter and forcing three turnovers in the final 10 minutes.

“We left it tight in the first half, and I wanted them to kind of relax,” head coach Jason Leone said. “Our defense… that was the best defense we’ve played in a month.”

The cap was put on a powerful 87-66 win, helped by five different players landing in double-digit points. Judd clinched his 10th double double of the season with a 20-point and 15-rebound performance, while junior Jayson McGhee ended with a career-high 29 points.

The Lakers look to keep the ball rolling on Friday, Feb. 27, when they travel to SUNY Oneonta for a semifinal battle with the No. 3 Red Dragons at 5:30 p.m.