OSWEGO, N.Y. – Hayden Ward (Sr. Montauk, N.Y.) tied his career-high with 25 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, but it was not enough as the Oswego State men’s basketball team (3-1, 0-1 SUNYAC) lost its first conference game of the season to Plattsburgh (4-1, 1-0 SUNYAC).
It was the first conference loss for the Lakers since the 2010-11 season, having won 32 straight.
Plattsburgh registered a balanced attack with 10 different players tallying points and no individual over 15 points. John Perez led the Cardinals with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting, also tacking on nine rebounds.
It was a back-and-forth battle all game, as no team led by double-digits at any point. Ward was a dominant force in the first half, notching 15 points and 10 boards in the opening stanza to give the Lakers a 28-22 lead at the break.
The Cardinals took their first lead of the second half with 6:29 left in the game on a three-pointer by Ezra Hodgson, a lead they would maintain for the rest of the contest. A drought of just over 10 minutes without a field goal after Ward made a layup with 11:46 left in the game put the Lakers in a hole they could not climb out of.
Before Ward netted another layup with 1:29 left, Oswego State was outscored 17-6 in a stretch which would cost the Lakers a win. Oswego State went 9-for-26 from the field in the second half, 34.6 percent shooting from a team that has consistently shot above 50 percent during the season.
Senior Chris Gilkes (Sr., Syracuse, N.Y.) netted 16 points, with his three most important points with eight seconds left on a three-point play to put the Lakers within one at 58-57. After the Cardinals made one of two free throws at the other end, Oswego State got a shot to tie the game.
Ward caught a baseball pass just outside the three-point arc and went right to the basket. However, Plattsburgh’s defense smothered Ward, whose shot fell short and the final buzzer sounded.
With his 25 points, Ward moved to within 17 points of the 1,000-point milestone.
The Lakers take the court again tomorrow (Dec. 1) to complete Whiteout Weekend with a 4 p.m. game against Potsdam.
Plattsburgh State 59, Oswego State 57
Oswego State (3-1, 0-1)
Hayden Ward 10-18 1-3 25; Chris Gilkes 6-12 1-4 16; Sean Michele 2-7 1-5 9; Daniel Ross 1-7 0-0 4; Brenden Nollet 0-2 0-0 2; Elijiah McLaurin 0-2 0-0 1; Kyle Covley 0-1 0-1 0; Alex Mirabito 0-2 0-2 0; Alex Rawa 0-1 0-1 0; Rashawn Powell 0-1 0-1 0; Justin Haight 0-1 0-0 0;
Totals 19-54 3-17 57
Plattsburgh State (4-1, 1-0)
John Perez 6-10 0-0 14; Chris Manning 2-12 1-5 10; Shavar Fields 3-6 0-0 6; Edward Correa 2-7 2-5 6; Shamoy Mcintosh 1-2 0-1 6; Ezra Hodgson 2-6 1-2 6; Gary Tibbs 2-4 0-0 5; Mike Mitchell 1-2 1-2 3; Jordan Moody 1-1 0-0 2; Kalik Parker 0-2 0-1 1; Billy O’Shea 0-1 0-1 0; None
Totals 20-53 5-17 59
Oswego State 28 29 – 57
Plattsburgh State 22 37 – 59
3 point goals — Oswego State 3-17 (Hayden Ward 1-3; Chris Gilkes 1-4; Sean Michele 1-5; Kyle Covley 0-1; Alex Mirabito 0-2; Alex Rawa 0-1; Rashawn Powell 0-1; ), Plattsburgh State 5-17 (Edward Correa 2-5; Mike Mitchell 1-2; Ezra Hodgson 1-2; Chris Manning 1-5; Shamoy Mcintosh 0-1; Kalik Parker 0-1; Billy O’Shea 0-1; ). Fouled out — Oswego State -Daniel Ross; , Plattsburgh State – Chris Manning; . Rebounds — Oswego State 37 (Hayden Ward 15; Daniel Ross 5; Chris Gilkes 5; Sean Michele 4; Team 3; Brenden Nollet 2; Elijiah McLaurin 1; Alex Mirabito 1; Alex Rawa 1; ), Plattsburgh State 37 (John Perez 9; Team 5; Chris Manning 5; Kalik Parker 4; Ezra Hodgson 4; Anthony Baker 4; Shavar Fields 2; Shamoy Mcintosh 1; Mike Mitchell 1; Edward Correa 1; Billy O’Shea 1; ). Assists — Oswego State 6 (Daniel Ross 3; Elijiah McLaurin 2; Kyle Covley 1; ), Plattsburgh State 7 (Chris Manning 4; Mike Mitchell 2; John Perez 1; ). Total fouls — Oswego State 18 (Daniel Ross 5; Chris Gilkes 4; Elijiah McLaurin 2; Sean Michele 2; Alex Rawa 2; Brenden Nollet 1; Hayden Ward 1; Alex Mirabito 1; ), Plattsburgh State 17 (Chris Manning 5; Edward Correa 2; Gary Tibbs 2; Shamoy Mcintosh 2; Kalik Parker 1; Ezra Hodgson 1; Shavar Fields 1; John Perez 1; Mike Mitchell 1; Billy O’Shea 1; ). Technical fouls — Oswego State 0 (None), Plattsburgh State 0 (None)
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