OSWEGO, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly men's basketball team opened up their season on Friday night in the Max Ziel Tournament hosted by SUNY Oswego. The Wildcats took the trip north to battle the #6 ranked Lakers, who made a run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament last year. The Lakers would open up a large first-half lead and never look back, defeating the Wildcats 104-66. The Wildcats have a quick turnaround as they face Keuka College today at 2:00 PM for their second game of the tournament.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Both teams raced out to a quick start on Friday, with lighting quick runs to open the game, led by Cheickne Toure, who would have 11 of the first 16 points for the Wildcats, helping them maintain an early first-half lead. The Wildcats led at the under 10-minute mark 18-16 before a Lakers run would quickly make it a 30-23 game with 5:30 left in the half. Early foul trouble would come back to bite the Wildcats, and the Lakers would take a 50-29 lead heading into halftime. 

The Wildcats wouldn't be able to cut into the deficit in the second half as the Lakers continued their strong shooting performance. The Lakers knocked down 10 three-pointers at a 45.5% shooting mark, which sparked their initial first-half run and gave them separation in the game. For the Lakers, Jeremiah Sparks led the way with 19 points, and Cartier Bowman chipped in an additional 16. 

The Wildcats were led by junior guard Cheickne Toure, who finished with a career-high 23 points. He was the lone Wildcat to finish in double digits.