Historic Season Ended By Warhawks In Elite 8

Posted: Mar 11, 2023

Oswego Sports Information Department

ASHLAND, V.A. – The Oswego State Men's Basketball team remained in Virginia this evening for their Elite 8 matchup against UW-Whitewater. The Lakers late second half rally fell just short of the Warhawks, losing by three points. Jeremiah Sparks dropped a season high 35 points, while recording a double-double.

THE BASICS

Final Score: #6 Oswego State 74 (29-3, 19-1 SUNYAC), UW-Whitewater 77 (25-7, 9-5)

Location: Crenshaw Gymnasium, Ashland, VA

HOW IT HAPPENED

The men found themselves down early, trying to find answers for the Warhawks defense. Oswego would trail by seven with just over 11 minutes remaining in the half.
A three point shot by Devin Green sparked life in the Lakers offense, with Oswego tying the game at 16 just a minute later.
Oswego continued to go back and forth with UW-Whitewater, until the Warhawks jumped ahead by four.
Devin Green hit his second three of the afternoon to give the Lakers momentum going into the end of the first half. The Warhawks turned the ball over on the following possession, which led to a layup from Kaleb Cook to give the Lakers their first lead of the evening with four and a half remaining in the first.
Jeremiah Sparks connected on a three pointer as the time ran out, which gave the Lakers a four point lead going into the half, 34-30 .
Sparks led the Lakers with 12 at the half, adding six rebounds. Devin Green also scored double digits in the first, finishing with ten.
The Laker defense held the Warhawks to just 16.7% on their three point attempts, while forcing five turnovers. Oswego also had solid production from their bench in the first, with eight first half points off the bench.
UW-Whitewater gave the Lakers trouble in the second half of play, erasing Oswego's lead just two and a half minutes into the half,
The Warhawks built a 12 point lead over the Lakers with nine minutes remaining in the game.
The men refused to back down, with Jeremiah Sparks leading the way. Sparks connected on several field goal attempts, and made several crucial free throws down the stretch.
Sparks converted on a mid range jumper to cut the Warhawk lead to just three.
The Warhawks made their free throws on the next possession, giving them a five point lead.
Caleb Cook was fouled on a three point attempt, sending him to the line with just 14 seconds left in the game. There was no pressure on Cook, as he sank all three free throws to cut the Laker deficit to two.
Sparks had a chance to tie the game, but the shot was heavily contested by the Warhawks, causing Sparks to miss the game-tying shot.
The Lakers were knocked out of tournament play with their 77-74 loss to the Warhawks.
Jeremiah Sparks finished with 35 points, giving it his all for the Lakers. Sparks went 11-14 from the free throw line, while securing 12 rebounds.
Also finishing in double digits was Devin Green, who finished with 17 points on the night.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Lakers record breaking season came to an end tonight, as the men finished with their first Elite 8 birth in program history. The men finished with a record of 29-3 for the 2022-2023 season.