Onondaga Community College pulls away in the 2nd half to defeat MSAC rival Tompkins Cortland CC

Lazers to play at #7 Finger Lakes CC on Wednesday night.

SYRACUSE, NY. – January 23, 2011 – The Onondaga Community College men’s basketball team used a 43-23 run over 14 minutes of the second half to break open a tight game and pull away for a 92-76 Mid-State Athletic Conference victory on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Lazers raised their overall record to 15-6 on the season. Onondaga is 4-2 in MSAC play, 1/2 game behind Broome Community College and Jefferson Community College, and a full game in back of Finger Lakes Community College. The Lazers will travel to Finger Lakes, currently ranked #7 in the country in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association poll, for an 8:00 pm tip-off on Wednesday.

Against Tompkins Cortland yesterday, Tom Graf (Jordan-Elbridge) connected on a three-pointer to give Onondaga a 9-7 lead, and the Lazers would never trail after that. The Lazers couldn’t break away from the visiting Panthers however. Onondaga held a 12-point advantage late in the first half, only to see Tompkins Cortland close to within 3 at the half. Onondaga promptly extended the lead to 10 at the start of the second half, only to see the Panthers battle back again, eventually forcing a 47-47 tie with 16:30 to go. At that point, Onondaga went on its decisive 14 minute run, and this time Tompkins Cortland was unable to answer, as the Lazer lead reached 90-70 with a little over 2 minutes to go.

Heath Stone (Chittenango) led a very balanced Onondaga attack with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Brandon Seibt (Central Square P.V. Moore) added 19 points, while Andrew Lucio (Solvay) contributed 13 points and handed out 5 assists. Jesse Gates (Liverpool) and Graf rounded out the double figure scorers, chipping in 11 and 10 points respectively. Jake Johnson (Tully) led the Lazers in rebounding, pulling down 15 boards in 22 minutes. Onondaga also produced a strong defensive effort, as they held the Panthers, the highest scoring team in the MSAC, 10 points under their conference scoring average. The Lazers held Tompkins Cortland to 31.6% shooting from the floor, forced 17 Panther turnovers, and owned a 63-46 rebounding advantage. Onondaga shot 41.2% from the floor themselves.

Following Wednesday’s contest at Finger Lakes, the Lazers will return home next Saturday at 3:00 pm, when they host Cayuga Community College.