OSWEGO, N.Y. – The top-seeded Oswego State men's basketball team battled to a double-overtime 73-69 victory over No. 5 Oneonta in the second semifinal game in the SUNYAC Championship on Friday night. Oswego's victory snapped an impressive six-game win streak for the Red Dragons and sets up a championship battle with No. 3 Brockport for Saturday afternoon.
 
"I am extremely proud of this team," stated Head Coach Cameron Conover.  "Our guys came so far this season and were determined to make the playoffs. They surprised a lot of people, but not themselves because they kept believing. It was a very fun ride and it's a bummer that it is over. We are all going to miss our one senior AC Kirkwood a great deal. Junior Kevin Mackin (Nanuet, NY/Nanuet) said, "AC's the best teammate he's ever had. AC impacted this team in such a positive way."
 
Conover continued, "We battled all night, but unfortunately, we came up just short. Tonight's loss hurts, but we have tough young men in this program and we will continue to work hard in all areas and keep improving."
 
In a true back-and-forth contest, neither team led by more than six points at any point in a tilt that featured 17 lead changes and 14 ties.
 
Tyler Pierre was crucial down the stretch for Oswego (21-5) after sitting for 12 minutes of the second half with foul trouble.  The senior scored 15-straight points, spanning from the final minute of regulation into the middle of the second overtime period, outscoring Oneonta (16-11) by three during that time.
 
Pierre finished with a team-high 21 points and five rebounds to go along with a block and a steal. That block was pivotal as it stopped Oneonta from scoring the go-ahead bucket with less than 10 seconds left in the first overtime.
 
Joe Sullivan, Liam Sanborn and Brandan Gartland played all 50 minutes for the Lakers, each scoring in double-figures.
 
Sullivan had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds while Sanborn missed the same plateau by just two boards (15 pts.).  Gartland finished with 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the floor and a perfect night from the charity stripe (4-for-4).
 
Oneonta had five players score in double-figures on the night, paced by sophomore Andres Rivera's (Bronx, NY/Walton) game-high 23.  Joining Rivera was Harrison Deegan (Putnam Valley, NY/Putnam Valley), Dylan Trombley (Moriah, NY/Moriah), Joseph Bull (Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael Academy) and Carson Jacobs (Buchanan, NY/Hendrick Hudson), with all four of the quartet scoring 11 points.  Jacobs scored his points coming off the bench for the Red Dragons before fouling out in the second overtime.  Rivera, Trombley and Bull all played the entire 50 minutes of the contest.  Bull missed a double-double by just one rebound while Deegan led all players with five assists.
 
The Red Dragons had better shooting percentages from all three areas of the floor while the Lakers had a distinct advantage on the glass (44-31).  Of Oswego's plus-13 margin on the glass, eight came on the offensive boards (16-6) to extend possessions and win the second-chance points battle (13-7).