OSWEGO, N.Y.— In a game that saw 25 lead changes and neither team pull ahead by more than six, top-seeded Oswego hit a layup with eight seconds remaining in overtime and held on for an 84-83 victory over visiting No. 5 Buffalo State in tonight's second SUNYAC Semifinal.
 
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Oswego – 84, Buffalo State – 83 (OVERTIME)
LOCATION: Max Ziel Gymnasium - Oswego, N.Y.
RECORDS: Oswego (20-6), Buffalo State (17-9)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Senior Lovell Smith (Buffalo/McKinley) led Buffalo State with 29 points and nine rebounds in what was his final game as a Bengal.
• Dom Grayer (Brooklyn/Bishop Loughlin) added 15 points.
• Senior Jordan Glover (Buffalo/St. Joe's) tallied 14 points and had four assists, and fellow senior Jordan Chateau (Bayside/Lowell) chipped in 13 points and eight boards.
• The teams raced back-and-forth all night with Buffalo State taking its biggest lead of the game by five in the early going, but Oswego led 35-32 through the opening 20 minutes. 
• The lead traded hands back-and-forth again in the second half, but Oswego managed to take its largest lead of the game at six on two occasions midway through the period, including at 60-54.
• Buffalo State answered with an 8-0 run to pull back in front, but Oswego responded to pull back in front by five at 68-63 with just over five minutes remaining.
• The Bengals were not deterred however, grabbing a pair of one-point leads down the stretch. 
• The Lakers led again by three with two minutes remaining, but the Bengals cut the deficit to two before Grayer his a mid-range fade-away jumper to knot the score at 76-76 with 29 seconds remaining to force overtime.
• The Bengals struck first in the extra session with a layup by Chateau, followed by a free throw by Chateau to take an early three-point lead.
• Oswego pushed ahead by two with 35 seconds remaining, but the Bengals had the answer again as Smith converted an "old-fashioned" 3-point play to put Buffalo State ahead at 83-82 with just 19 seconds remaining.
• The drama continued at the other end of the court, however as the Bengals pressured the ball near midcourt, but a Laker snuck free under the basket and received the pass and converted the go-ahead layup with just eight ticks left on the clock.
• The Bengals attempted a long 3-pointer at the buzzer that sailed off the mark to finally end the contest in favor of the home team.
• Oswego committed just seven turnovers in the game, while converting 13 Buffalo State turnovers into 21 points. 
• The Lakers also outscored Buffalo State 33-18 from 3-point range and 21-11 at the free-throw line.
• Buffalo State was far more efficient, dominating inside, outscoring Oswego 42-20 in the paint.  The Bengals shot 54 percent from the field for the game, while the Lakers hit on just 37 percent.

 
FOR THE FOES

• Senior guard Brian Sortino was unstoppable as he tallied 48 points, including hitting 5 of 7 from beyond the arc and 17 of 19 at the charity stripe.  He also had six assists, including the dish on the game-winning basket, and grabbed nine rebounds, playing all 45 minutes.
• Jamir Ferebee netted 14 points, including scoring the winning bucket, and had seven boards.
• Ian Schupp chipped in 12 points.

 
NOTEWORTHY

• Lovell Smith concludes his four years at Buffalo State ranked eighth in school history with 1,303 career points.
• Oswego defeated Buffalo State by a single point in all three meetings this season.

 
UP NEXT                                                                                               
Oswego advances to host tomorrow's championship game at 4 p.m. against No. 3 Oneonta, who knocked off Brockport, 85-72, in today's early semifinal.  The winner will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.