CANTON, N.Y. - Despite a game-high 27 points from freshman Jeremiah Sparks, the No. 25 Oswego State men's basketball team suffered an 83-82 overtime defeat at the hands of the St. Lawrence Saints on Monday evening.

THE BASICS

• Final Score:  St. Lawrence 83, Oswego 82 (OT)
• Location:  Ronald T. Burkman Gymnasium, St. Lawrence University - Canton, N.Y.
• Records:  Oswego 4-1 | St. Lawrence 1-3

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The teams traded runs in the first half with Oswego starting on a 7-2 run, followed by the Saints making a 9-2 run to go up 11-9.
• Behind a pair of Julien Crittendon 3-pointers and two free throws from Joe Sullivan, Oswego went on 8-0 run to take a 17-11 lead.
• St. Lawrence took control with a 19-3 run over the next five minutes to make it 30-20 with 7:57 left in the half.
• Five points by Kaleb Cook in the final minute helped close the gap to 39-36 at the break.
• In the second half, the Saints maintained their lead and had the score at 69-61 with 7:13 remaining in the contest.
• A 12-1 run with five points from senior Brandan Gartland, four from Sparks and a 3-pointer by Sullivan gave Oswego a 73-70 lead with just under three minutes left.
• Undeterred, the Saints nailed a pair of 3-pointers with 1:15 left on the clock to retake the lead.
• After each team had an empty possession, Sparks was fouled near the visitor's bench taking a three and calmly drained all three shots with just 18 seconds remaining.
• Gartland forced a steal on the final possession to send the game to overtime.
• Two buckets from Sparks and a TJ Brescia layup had Oswego primed for the comeback with an 82-81 lead with two minutes to go.
• The Saints snuck in behind the Laker zone for a layup to retake the lead just ten seconds later.
• Oswego had four more solid chances to win the game, but each time the shot narrowly rolled just off the rim and St. Lawrence held on for the victory.
• Sparks (27 points, 10 rebounds) and Sullivan (16 points, 16 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles.
• Gartland finished with 19 points while point guard Liam Sanborn hit double-digits with 10 assists.
• The Saints shot a blistering 57.1% from the field while Oswego won the rebounding battle at 38-32, including 17 on the offensive glass.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Lakers return to action on Friday at 7:30 p.m. when they travel to Brockport to kick off conference play.