The Oswego State men's basketball team (15-5, 8-5 SUNYAC) overcame 19 turnovers by shooting over 45 percent from the floor to defeat Fredonia (6-13, 2-11 SUNYAC), 68-50, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 2.
Hayden Ward (Sr., Montauk, N.Y.) turned in a double-double with 23 points and 16 rebounds to help the Lakers get back into the win column.
Oswego State held a two-point lead near the midway point of the first half, but an old-fashioned three-point play by Ward followed by a free throw and a trey by Kyle Covley (Fr., Penfield, N.Y.) put the Lakers ahead, 16-7, with 9:38 to play in the frame. The Blue Devils rattled off seven unanswered points to pull within six, which was the margin until Sean Michele (Sr., East Rochester, N.Y.) drained a three-pointer to trigger a small Laker 8-4 run to close out the first half, giving Oswego State a 32-22 lead at the break.
Both squads went back-and-forth throughout the second half as the margin remained nine points with seven minutes remaining. Alex Rawa (Fr., Locust Valley, N.Y.) then bookended a 12-2 run that spanned more than three minutes with a pair of free throws and a trey to give Oswego State a commanding 64-45 advantage, as it cruised to the victory.
The Lakers owned a 42-25 rebounding edge resulting in an 18-7 advantage in second-chance points.
In addition to Ward's 23 points, 15 of which came in the second half, Alex Mirabito (Sr., Oneonta, N.Y.) was the only other Laker to reach double figures with 10 points. Chris Gilkes (Sr., Syracuse, N.Y.) and Michele also added nine points each. Robert Lyles and Dalton Kashmer paced Fredonia with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Oswego State hosts New Paltz on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 8 p.m. on Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night.
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