Men’s Basketball – Lakers Edge Jaguars in a Thriller of a Game, 64-63

CANANDAIGUA – Trailing 63-62 with the ball in their hands with just seconds remaining on the game clock, the Lakers (3-5) would make Tuesday's home matchup with Jamestown CC-Cattaraugus – a memorable one.

Rarely do you see the outcome of a game end with a goaltending call.

Well – last night would be the exception to this rare occurrence. With 3.9 seconds remaining in the contest, Lakers freshman guard Kaleem Edwards – with the ball in his hands – was credited with a two-point basket thanks to a goaltending call. The bucket gave Finger Lakes a 64-63 lead.

Jamestown would then launch up a hail marry from half court – but needless to say – it was not answered by the basketball God's – as Edwards basket would hold up as the game winner.

The 64-63 victory put the Lakers home record at 3-3 on the season. The game marked the fifth consecutive in which Finger Lakes has battled its opponent to an outcome that was decided by four points or less.

The remaining 39:56 worth of basketball played on Tuesday showed minimal consistencies in the box score between the two teams - despite the score.

Shooting favored the visitors as they shot 44% from the field versus the Lakers 30%.

The battle of the offenses may have favored the Jaguars – however – that same statement could not be made when describing the showdown between both side's defenses.

Rebounding would go to the hosts. Finger Lakes – as a team – pulled down 42 rebounds in the win. Jamestown finished with 37.

The Lakers rebounding was balanced in nature. 18 of their 42 boards came on the offensive end of Putt Moore Court last night.

In terms of turnovers, Finger Lakes committed just 12 in the 40-minute affair. Jamestown accrued 22 turnovers.

The Lakers, upon the conclusion of the game, totaled 13 steals out of the 22 Jaguar turnovers.

Foul trouble was a key issue for the Jaguars as they committed 24 personal fouls. Finger Lakes, who went to the line 26 times, made 16 free throws in the meeting.

In terms of team scoring – the Lakers took the first half – 29-21. The Jaguars would then turn around and outscore Finger Lakes post intermission – 42-35.

In terms of individual scoring – the Lakers were led by the services of Sean Carbonell. The sophomore forward – who went 6-8 from the free throw line in the second half – scored 14 points in 30 minutes worth of action.

In addition to his points, Carbonell pulled down 7 rebounds. Joining him with 7 rebounds of his own was his teammate – forward Richard De La Cruz.

Edwards, to go along with his clutch basket, finished the game with 9 points. Also scoring 9 points for the Lakers was Dominique Higgins. In addition to his points, Higgins doled out a team-high 5 assists.

De La Cruz and Edwards each tacked on three steals apiece in the thriller.

Kelvin Munoz and Will Arberry each contributed 7 points apiece for the Lakers.

Overall, Finger Lakes bench outscored the Jaguars pine – 20-8.

In a losing effort, Jamestown saw three of its players reach double figures in scoring – led by James Brown's 21 points. Stephane Vilson and Katrell Henry poured in 15 points and 12 points respectively for the Jaguars.

The Lakers will return to action next Thursday (11/29) for a road matchup with Alfred State College. That game is expected to start at 7:30 p.m.