CANTON, N.Y. – The Oswego State men’s basketball team (0-1) trailed by 11 early in the second half, but rallied back to tie the game with 5:05 to play. However, St. Lawrence (1-0) put together a 6-0 run to regain control for a 66-62 win on its home floor in Canton, N.Y.
The Lakers led during the game’s opening three minutes, but an 8-0 run by the Saints put the home team up 10-4 with 14:32 to play, setting the tone for the first half.
St. Lawrence pushed the lead to 12 midway through the half, but a pair of three-pointers by Ryan Sheridan (Sr., Blauvelt, N.Y.) and another by Sean Michele (Sr., East Rochester, N.Y.) cut the lead to 26-24 with 5:31 left in the half.
The momentum shifted once again when the Saints scored the final nine points of the half to carry a 38-27 lead into the locker room.
Oswego State chipped into the lead early in the second half with a balanced scoring attack and then Chris Gilkes (Jr., Syracuse, N.Y.) hit back-to-back treys in a 50-second span to cut the St. Lawerence lead to 47-46.
The Saints pushed the advantage back to four, but a layup by Chad Burridge (Sr., Hannibal, N.Y.) with 6:07 to play knotted the game up at 52.
One minute later, Hayden Ward (Jr., Montauk, N.Y.) converted a old-fashioned three-point play to give the Lakers a 55-54 lead, but it was the only one for the visitors in the half as the Saints responded with 6-0 run.
The Lakers were not done though. Burridge cut the lead to 62-61 with 1:38 left and the Saints missed a three-pointer on the other end. However, an offensive rebound forced Oswego State to foul. St. Lawrence went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final minute and came up with a steal with 30 seconds left to help seal the 66-62 victory.
The Saints finished the game 15-of-16 from the free throw line, including eight from Ralph Temgoua, who led St. Lawrence with 25 points in the game.
Burridge paced the Lakers with 19 points, while Ward added 13 points. Michele finished with team-high eight assists and Gilkes finished with eight rebounds.
The Lakers are back in action on Friday when they face Ithaca (0-1) at 8 p.m. during the first day of the Max Ziel Basketball Classic.
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