College roundup: Sparks scores 1,000th point for surging Lakers
Feb. 3—OSWEGO — Oswego State junior guard Jeremiah Sparks recently scored his 1,000th career point to help extend a winning streak for the surging men's basketball team.
The Lakers (18-2 overall, 12-1 SUNYAC) entered the week on a 14-game win streak ranked No. 13 in the D3hoops.com national Top 25 poll. The program record for consecutive wins is 19, established in 1958-59 campaign.
Sparks, the 6-foot-3 guard form Jordan-Elbridge, became the 19th player in team history to reach the 1,000-point mark during a 100-62 victory over host Geneseo on Jan. 24.
Sparks scored 26 points during the milestone outing, finishing 10-for-13 on field goals and 6-for-7 on 3-pointers. He is averaging a career-high 16.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game along with personal best shooting percentages of .498 from the field and .453 from beyond the arc.
Sparks has started 76 of 77 games during his three seasons for the Lakers.
Oswego is scheduled to host New Paltz in a SUNYAC matchup at 7:30 Friday night at Max Ziel Gymnasium and will face Oneonta at 4 p.m. Saturday in the same location.
MEN'S HOCKEY
LAKERS TO HOST KNIGHTS
The Oswego State men's ice hockey team will host rival Geneseo at 7 p.m. Friday at the Deborah F. Stanley Arena in a crucial game for SUNYAC supremacy.
The Lakers (12-7-1 overall, 8-3 SUNYAC) and Knights (13-5-2, 7-3-1) entered the week ranked second and third, respectively, in the conference standings.
Oswego claimed a 4-3 victory in the first matchup on Nov. 18 at Geneseo.
The Lakers are ranked No. 15 in the latest PairWise Rankings and No. 12 in the USCHO Division III men's poll.
WOMEN'S HOCKEY
LAKERS ON NORTHERN TRIP
The Oswego State women's ice hockey team will travel north to play at NEWHL foes SUNY Canton on Friday and Postsdam on Saturday.
The Lakers (11-8-1 overall, 9-4-1 NEWHL) are coming off a weekend sweep with home wins over Morrisville and Buffalo State last weekend.
Oswego received one vote outside the top 15 in the USCHO Division III women's poll and ranked No. 17 in the latest PairWise rankings released this week. The Lakers are third in the NEWHL standings behind Plattsburgh and Cortland.
ATHLETICS
OSWEGO WINS FALL SERVICE AWARD
Oswego State was recently recognized as the top NCAA Division III athletics department in community service efforts for the fall semester.
Oswego was announced as the Division III winner of the NCAA Team Works Community Service Competition. The Lakers were credited with nearly 2,400 hours of service dedicated to the surrounding community over the fall semester to top all participating Division III institutions.
Two outings specifically mentioned in the NCAA announcement were a leaf-raking event for senior citizens, and teams raising awareness for and funds to combat ovarian cancer through working with area non-profit Peaceful Remedies.