The Oswego State men's basketball team overcame 17 turnovers by shooting 52.6 percent (30-of-57) from the floor to defeat a talented Buffalo State squad, 77-71, at Max Ziel Gymnasium Friday night.  Conor Monaghan came off the bench to pour in a career-high 24 points to help the Laker bench outscore the Bengals, 35-17.  Oswego State, which moved to 13-3 overall and 9-1 atop the SUNYAC standings, will host Fredonia Saturday at 6 p.m.  Buffalo State fell to 10-6 on the season and 5-5 in the league.

It was a seesaw battle for much of the first half until Ryan Sheridan and Chad Burridge combined to score seven unanswered points to give the Lakers a 28-19 lead with 4:23 on the clock.  Oswego State closed out the half with a pull-up jumper by Monaghan as time expired, giving the Lakers a ten-point, 37-27 advantage at the half.

The lead grew to 12 points early in the second frame, but Buffalo State created offensive opportunities by applying full-court pressure resulting in a 12-2 stretch that brought the Bengals to within two points at 45-43 and 15:18 to play.  However, Coach Adam Stockwell's troop responded with a 12-4 run that was fueled by a pair of Monaghan treys to put Oswego State back up 57-47 with 11 minutes to play.

A dunk by Justin Mitchell cut the Buffalo State deficit to five points and just under a minute on the clock, but a pair of Sheridan free throws with 22 seconds sealed the 77-71 win.

Joining Monaghan in double figures was Burridge and Sheridan with 15 and 12 points, respectively.  The Bengals had four players reach double-digits, including Justin Mitchell, who recorded a team-high 17 points. 

In addition to shooting well from the field, the Lakers matched a season-high 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from beyond the arc, while the defense limited Buffalo State to 37.7 percent from the floor.