The Oswego State men's basketball team lost its season opener 82-71 to Utica at Max Ziel Gymnasium on Tuesday night. Second half shooting proved to be the difference in the contest as the Pioneers shot 55.2 percent from the field on 16-of-29 shooting, while the Lakers went 14-of-39 for 35.9 percent. Utica forward Patrick Goodman led all players with 27 points and 14 rebounds. Oswego State was led offensively by Chad Burridge's (So., Hannibal, N.Y.) 25 points.

The first half was a seesaw battle that featured seven ties as neither team held a lead greater than four points after the first minute of play.  Kevin Johnson went coast-to-coast for a layup after grabbing a defensive rebound with 38 seconds left in the period to give the Pioneers a slim 37-35 lead at halftime.

Fans of SUNY Athletic Conference men’s basketball may need a program early in the season for the 2009-10 Oswego State men’s basketball team as it boasts a roster with ten sophomores and freshmen to go along with new head coach Adam Stockwell. Coach Stockwell will look to captains Stanley Francois and Chad Burridge, the 2008-09 SUNYAC Rookie of the Year, to help the Lakers achieve aspirations of a league title and receiving the program’s first NCAA National Tournament bid. However, Oswego State will have to have a quick learning curve as the squad adjusts to the new defensive and offensive schemes implemented by the coaching staff and gains collegiate game experience at nearly every position on the floor.

Head Coach Adam Stockwell has been encouraged by what he has seen in practice thus far from the two seniors, one junior, five sophomores, and five freshmen that have already developed strong team chemistry. Whatever the team may lack in game experience, Coach Stockwell feels the team can make up for in depth.  He wants to utilize a nine-man rotation to take advantage of the speed and size of his players in every facet of the game. 

Oswego State freshman forward Chad Burridge (Hannibal/Hannibal) and senior guard Tommy Downing (Staten Island/Curtis), have each been honored by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) on its 2008-09 Division III Upstate All-Star Team. Burridge was named the ECAC Division III Upstate Rookie of the Year, while Downing garnered second team honors.

Individual accolades continue to pour in for the Oswego State men’s basketball team as freshman Chad Burridge (Hannibal) and senior Tommy Downing (Staten Island/Curtis) garnered postseason regional honors from two organizations this week.  Burridge was named the East Region Rookie of the Year by D3Hoops.com, while Downing earned second team East Region honors by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) on its Division III All-District Teams.

Senior guard Kyle Reuter (Mexico) was one of three starters in double figures, scoring a game-high 30 points to go with three steals, but Oswego State could not hold on to an early 10 point lead in the second half while host St. John Fisher College survived a back and forth shootout in the final seven minutes en route to a 72-71 victory in the semifinals of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Upstate Championships on Friday, March 6 at Fisher’s Manning/Napier Gymnasium.