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The Oswego State men's basketball team defeated Hartwick 60-50 on Sunday evening at Max Ziel Gymnasium. It was the final game of the Max Ziel Classic, as all four teams finished 1-1 after the opening weekend.
In the first half, Oswego got off to a hot start, going on a 9-2 run with center Mark Candelario picking up a quick seven points. The 6-foot-8 junior would finish the half with a team-high nine points while grabbing four rebounds. Candelario ended the half with a monstrous block, sending Hartwick's shot out-of-bounds with just 0.7 seconds left in the period. The Hawks were able to get a three on a catch-and-shoot to make it a 27-23 game at the break.
Oswego's defense swarmed the Hartwick shooters throughout the opening 20 minutes, limiting the Hawks to a mere 11.8% (2-for-17) from distance.
To start the second half, Hartwick went on a six-point run to tie the game at 29-29. From that point on, Oswego would regain the lead that it would not relinquish for the rest of the game in large part due to Brian Sortino's play. The Fairport native stole the ball at midcourt, drove left, and picked up the three-point play for the Lakers to regain the lead, 32-29. The guard went on to score four more consecutive points over the next 1:30 to cushion their lead at 36-30.
Rashawn Powell's layup at 11:33 jumpstarted a Laker 12-3 run to lead 50-36 by the six-minute mark. The Lakers shot a solid 72.2% (13-of-18) from the charity stripe down the stretch, as Hartwick was never able to regain momentum.
Individually, Sortino led the Lakers in scoring with 14 points, recording 10 of the team's 33 second-half points en route to a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Rashawn Powell had himself a nice outing as he went on to record his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds, earning him Most Valuable Player of the classic.
Oswego will return to the court when it plays host to St. Lawrence University for a 5:30 p.m. showdown on Friday.
