The Oswego State men's basketball team kept defensive pressure on all afternoon in an 82-43 win over Haverford College in a Land of Magic Classic contest held on Sunday in Daytona Beach, Fla. Oswego's 39-point win is its largest margin of victory since it beat D'Youville College 122-72 in the opening game of the 2012-13 season. The win improves the team's record to 6-2 on the year.
Entering the second-half with a nine-point advantage at 34-25, the Lakers were able to hold the Fords to just 18 points on 7-for-35 (20.0%) shooting from the field. The 18 second-half points was the lowest total the Lakers have allowed in the final 20 minutes of play since a 70-69 loss to Eastern Connecticut State University in an NCAA Championship Second Round game on March 3,. 2012.
Mid-way in the first half, with the score knotted at 14-14, Oswego went on a 9-0 run and never looked back, remaining ahead for the rest of the game. The spurt was capped by an Alex Rawa 3-pointer with 6:54 to play in the opening period.
Mark Candelario led the Lakers by recording his third-career double-double, notching 11 points while collecting 10 rebounds. The junior went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field in the contest and added three blocks in the defensive effort.
Sophomore Brian Sortino paced Oswego on offense with a game-high 17 points, shooting an impressive 75.0% (8-for-12) from the floor. In all, 12 Lakers scored in the game, including a third in double figures as Walter Sampson chipped in 13 points. Ian Schupp had a team-high five assists on the day while Sampson and Kyle Covley each distributed four. Sophomore Pat Caruso cashed in a career-high eight points and senior teammate Rashawn Powell matched that total.
Oswego will continue at the Land of Magic Classic with an 8 p.m. game on Monday against Loras College.
