The Oswego State men's basketball team shot a scorching 68.4 percent (13-of-19) in the second half, while its defense forced Fredonia to commit 24 turnovers en route to a 48-33 victory on Saturday at Max Ziel Gymnasium. Hayden Ward paced the Laker offense with 12 points in addition to grabbing eight boards with no other teammate reaching double-digits. The win pushed Oswego State's overall record to 14-3 and league record to 10-1. The Blue Devils fell to 5-12 overall and 2-9 in the SUNYAC standings.

 

The 33 points scored by the Blue Devils were the fewest points allowed by a Laker men's basketball team since January 8, 1963 when Oswego State defeated RIT 63-31.

 

It was a dismal offensive performance for both squads in the first half as it was 17-13 in favor of the Blue Devils at the break. Oswego State recorded six steals on ten Fredonia turnovers, while the Lakers made just four field goals on 16.7 percent shooting to find themselves trailing.

 

The Blue Devils saw their lead grew to 21-15 in the first minute of the second half, but a jumper by Ward triggered a 14-0 run where Fredonia went on an eight-minute scoring drought as Oswego State took a 29-21 lead with 11:23 remaining in the contest. Adam Smith scored two of his game-high 19 points to bring the Blue Devils to within six and five minutes to play. However, Jose Uribe made two critical shots on the next two Laker possessions to jumpstart an 11-0 run that put the game out of reach as Oswego State cruised to the victory.

 

The Lakers will host Oneonta on Tuesday at 8 p.m. in Max Ziel Gymnasium.