By: by Matt Palisin, Asst. SID
BOXSCORE
BOX SCORE
FREDONIA, N.Y. – The Fredonia State men's basketball team dropped its home opener 76-71 to Oswego on Friday evening.
Down 5-2 early on, the Devils went on a 14-0 run to take a 16-5 lead five minutes into the game. They would maintain that lead through the break, the largest margin of 13 coming at 24-11 with 8:21 remaining in the period. Oswego closed the gap to three points at the half, trailing 36-33. Fredonia State's
Dalton Kashmer had 11 points, and Chad Burridge had 12 for the Lakers.
Oswego would take the lead quickly in the second half scoring the first seven points to make it 40-36.
From there, the game remained close with four lead changes and five ties, with neither team leading by more than five points.
Oswego would take the lead for good with 4:44 left to play on a Chris Gilkes layup. The Devils would pull within one, 72-71 with just under a minute to play on a three-point play by
Kevin Mitchell. From there, the Lakers used a layup and a pair of free throws to close out the game.
The Blue Devils were led by Mitchell with 17 points, including 9 of 10 shooting from the line.
Amir Billups finished with 15, including four three-pointers. Kashmer added 12 with three long-range buckets, and
Damien Goodwin II finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds.
The Devils held a 43-35 rebounding advantage. The Devils also converted 21 free throws in 27 opportunities compared to 15 of 21 by the Lakers.
The bulk of Oswego's offense came from the trio of Burridge, Gilkes and Hayden Ward who combined for 64 of the Laker's 76 points. Gilkes led the way with 23 and 9 rebounds. Ward had 22 points, and Burridge 19.
The Devils play host to Cortland Friday at 4 p.m. as part of a women's/men's doubleheader.
