Oswego Cruises Past Men's Basketball at Utica Classic, 89-63

UTICA, N.Y.  –  The Oswego State Men's Basketball team defeated the Emmanuel College Saints in their first game of the four-team Utica University Classic.

THE BASICS

Final Score: Oswego State 89 (8-2, SUNYAC 4-1), Emmanuel College 63 (6-4) 

Location: Miga Court, Utica, NY

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first ten minutes of the game were relatively close, and Oswego held onto a 21-19 lead. Sean Edwards led the way with seven points.

• The last ten minutes of the first half went the Lakers' way. With five minutes left in the first half, Oswego still clung to a 35-34 lead. 

• Jeremiah Sparks and Ahkee Anderson led a 15-3 rally over the last five minutes to grow Oswego's lead to 50-37 at the half.

• Sparks had 11 points at the half, and Anderson's late-half explosion gave him 12.

• The second half continued to favor the Lakers, who outscored the Saints 39-26 over the final 20 minutes. Sparks led the Lakers in scoring with 20 points. Devin Green found success in the second half and had 17 points for the game. Anderson ended the game with 14 points

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Donte Pope (Middletown, Conn.) paced Emmanuel with a team-high 12 points and five rebounds. Ryan Grijalva (Straham, N.H.) added 10 points.

• Offensive rebounds were a huge factor in the Laker success in the second half, as they out rebounded Emmanuel 23-4 on the offensive end. This also led to more scoring, as the Lakers outscored Emmanuel 21-4 on second-chance points.

• Turnovers were a problem for the Saints, as they turned the ball over 19 times. This led to Oswego scoring 23 points off of those turnovers.

• While both teams shot the ball from the field and from three-point range at a similar percentage, the Lakers played a cleaner game and capitalized on both turnovers and offensive rebounds.

WHAT'S NEXT

• Oswego will face the Utica Pioneers in the championship of the Utica University Classic tournament on December 30.
• Emmanuel takes on SUNY Delhi in the consolation game at 1:00 PM.

*Release courtesy of SUNY Oswego Athletic Communications office