OSWEGO, N.Y. – This evening No.9 Oswego Men's Basketball hosted the Babson Beavers in the first round of the NCAA tournament. With home court advantage, the Lakers were excited to continue their dominant regular season performance. A connected effort throughout the game allowed Oswego to shut out the physical Babson unit at both ends of the court and pull out a 74-63 win over the Beavers. The Lakers' post season run will continue to second round of NCAA playoffs where they will face Williams College.
THE BASICS
Final Score: Oswego 74 (25-1, 18-0 SUNYAC), Babson 63 (15-14, 8-8 NEWMAC)
Location: Max Ziel Gymnasium | Oswego, N.Y.
HOW IT HAPPENED
From the tip-off, the Lakers' starting five were ready to work. Standout Guard Jeremiah Sparks struck early, scoring the first points of the game with a driving layup at 19:35. In the following minutes of the first half, both teams would take turns on offense, but a connected Oswego defense would make it hard for the Beavers to gain momentum. The score would remain practically tied until Babson scored a few key points to improve the scoreline to 16-13, in their favor, at the 11:28 mark. The scoreboard would remain unphased for two minutes until Graduate student Julien Crittendon made both of his free throw attempts at 9:20 and sunk a clutch three-pointer just 15 seconds later to put Oswego up 18-16.
A tall and physical Babson unit kept the Lakers on their toes, shutting down their shooting angles and testing their grit on held balls. Despite a few unsuccessful jump-shots and three-pointer attempts, Oswego settled in on defense, forcing multiple turnovers. The last six minutes of the first half would bring excitement for Laker fans as they began to mount a lead. Jumpers from Kaleb Cook and Julien Crittendon helped push a 20-25 scoreline, that would persist until the 2:49 mark. Multiple good free throw attempts from Ahkee Andreson and Jeremiah Sparks added to the tally with just under two minutes to go. Jeremiah Sparks showed off his prowess, with a steal and dunk with just 21 seconds to go in the half. Oswego would close out the first frame of play with a solid twelve-point lead over the Beavers.
Much like the first, Babson came out hot in the opening minutes of the second half, catching the Lakers on their heels on defense. A variety of offensive efforts from the Beavers allowed them to cut Oswego's lead in half. A timeout from Babson Head Coach Stephen Brennan gave the Lakers some time to breathe and reconvene. Following the timeout, Oswego were able settle in on defense and find some offensive momentum. Multiple driving layups from Ahkee Anderson helped regain a more comfortable lead of 47-39 at the 13:45 mark. As the half got underway, both teams would trade offensive zone time and capitalize on multiple three-point opportunities. An unfortunate turnover would send Babson's Nate Amado on a breakaway on which he made a dunk of his own, improving the score to 52-48 at the halfway mark. As the clock ticked down, the Lakers continued to chip away on offense. A tenacious effort from each man on the floor, contributed to the ten-point lead the Lakers would achieve as they entered the final seven minutes of play. Despite this, the Beavers would not lay down, keeping the clamps on Sparks and Anderson on defense, to which each would respond with multiple free-throws of their own. The Beavers had an offensive surge in the final minute of play but were unsuccessful as the Lakers regained possession and ran the clock down. A final score of 74-63 over Babson would be enough to send Oswego to the next round of the NCAA tournament where they will face Williams College.
Another bright spot in this game for Oswego was junior guard Ahkee Anderson scored his 1000th career point tonight against the Beavers!
WHAT'S NEXT
The Lakers will return to Max Ziel Gymnasium tomorrow March 2nd to face-off against the Williams Ephs in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Tip-off will commence at 6:00 PM.
Written By: Matilda Pethrick
