An early lead proved to be enough for the Oswego State men's basketball team as they beat Hartwick College 71-69 on Sunday.
The Lakers went on a 4-0 run off of two baskets from Mark Candelario to start the game. Hartwick would answer with a two-point basket, but Oswego would continue to add to their lead.
The biggest lead of the game for Oswego came with 7:42 left in the first. Kyle Colvey hit a shot from three-point lead to make the score 34-17.
Hartwick then mounted a comeback, cutting the Lakers' lead by 15 before the end of the half. Matt Petruccione stole the ball and made a three with one second left, making the score 38-26 Oswego heading into halftime.
The Lakers started off the second half strong, stretching their lead back to eight after Daniel Ross hit a three-pointer with 12:16 left. Rashawn Powell assisted Ross with the score.
A Kyle Bradley layup gave Hartwick the lead with 7:38 left in the second. The Hawks would extend their lead to four with 4:59 left.
Oswego regained the lead with 4:08 left. The two teams battled back and forth for the last four minutes. Powell scored a layup with eight seconds left, securing the win for the Lakers, 71-69.
The Lakers were 8-12 from the free throw line. They finished 47.5% from the field and combined for 39 total rebounds.
Oswego will return to action when they return home for two SUNYAC games White Out Weekend Dec. 6 and Dec. 7. They will face SUNY Plattsburgh at 8 p.m. on Friday and will take on SUNY Potsdam with a 4 p.m. tipoff on Saturday.
