Brockport women’s basketball defeated Oswego State on Saturday, 71-55. The win was the third straight win for the Golden Eagles, coming off their big wins over Cortland and Oneonta. This victory improves Brockport’s record to 9-8 in conference play.
Brockport got off to a fast start, connecting on their first four shots and jumping out to a 10-3 lead. The Golden Eagles were efficient in the first quarter, shooting 10-17 from the field and 3-7 from three-point range.
The Lakers would battle back in the second quarter, outscoring Brockport 22-10. Oswego was led by Giavanna White-Principo, who finished with a team-high 15 points. Their strong showing in the second quarter would erase Brockport’s lead, and the game would head into halftime tied at 34.
Brockport head coach Corrine Jones explained her team’s mentality going into the locker room and the adjustments that were needed for the second half.
“Just trust the process,” Jones said. “We were resorting to threes, and we really needed to get in the paint.”
The third quarter saw another close battle, with neither team able to jump out to a substantial lead. Brockport would go 3-15 from the field and 0-4 from three, and Oswego was able to take their first lead of the game with a little over five minutes left to play in the third.
Down 48-46, the Golden Eagles would come alive in the fourth. With both teams struggling to pull away from the other, Mandy Brink would finish on the fast break and earn the foul. Brink sank the free throw to complete the three-point play, and Brockport would go up by 10 with six and a half to play. Brink would score nine points in the quarter and finish with 15 overall. Using that momentum, the Golden Eagles would pull away and finish the day on top.
Throughout the game, Brockport had a huge advantage on the glass, outscoring Oswego 20-8 in second-chance points. Zairea Hannah dominated the boards for Brockport, pulling in 16 rebounds. This number would break the single season rebound record for Brockport, a record that stood for 24 years. Hannah would also add a game-high 19 points.
“It’s really hard, the rebounding and all the contact that comes with it,” Hannah said. “It shows me how hard I’ve been working and that it’s paying off.”
Hannah currently leads the SUNYAC in rebounds, with 12.6 per game. Jones praised Hannah’s performance this season.
“That’s just what she does,” Jones said. “Rebounding is a mindset, she’s awesome at it, and I’m happy for her.”
The win today puts Brockport in fourth place in the SUNYAC standings and in the driver’s seat heading into the final week of the regular season. The Golden Eagles will play their last regular season game next week before likely heading into the postseason.
“The wins this weekend were huge,” Jones said. “We knew we had to get these.”
The Golden Eagles look to finish the regular season on a high note at home against Geneseo next Saturday, Feb. 17 with tipoff scheduled for 2 p.m.
