The fifth-seeded Oswego State men's basketball team bowed out of the SUNYAC Championship in the semifinal round with a 89-76 loss against top-seeded Plattsburgh on Friday night in Memorial Hall.
Playing without senior leader Jamir Ferebee – who was injured in the Lakers first round win over Geneseo on Tuesday – the Lakers were able to keep Plattsburgh close throughout the contest. Oswego was down by just three points five minutes into the second half before Plattsburgh began to pull away, eventually scoring the 13-point victory.
Four Lakers scored in double-figures in the tilt, paced by a pair of 15 point efforts from freshman Liam Sanborn and senior Josh Ivey. Both were critical on the glass as well, as Sanborn corralled a team-high seven rebounds while Ivey tied with Tim Marshall with six boards apiece. Marshall was also one of the Lakers with 10 or more points, notching 13 points on an impressive 5-for-8 from the floor. Rounding out the double-dight scorers was junior Tyler Pierre with 11 points. Pierre was also extremely efficient from the floor, missing just two shots on five attempts while cashing five of six attempts from the charity stripe. The big man also aided on the boards with five rebounds to his name.
Just missing the 10-point mark in the scoring column were Brandan Gartland and Ian Schupp, both tallying nine points. Prior to the game, Gartland was honored by the SUNYAC as the men's basketball Elite 20 winner, as the player at the championship with the highest grade-point average.
Joe Spinola had a solid effort off the bench, playing just one-minute shy of his season-high and gathering four rebounds in that time.
Oswego closes its season with a 14-13 record – its 17th-straight season of .500 or better – while the Cardinals advance to Saturday's title game at 21-4.
