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BRONXVILLE, N.Y.—In the team's final weekend of games in 2013, Sarah Lawrence College men's basketball split a pair of non-conference games. After defeating Culinary Institute of America, 67-59, on Saturday, the Gryphons fell to Alfred University, 121-70, on Sunday at Noyes Court.

On Saturday, Sarah Lawrence (4-5) wasted little time building a lead over Culinary (5-2). The Gryphons took a 10-4 advantage after four minutes, courtesy of five points by rookie Brendan O'Connell (Andover, Mass./Phillips Academy Andover). SLC held the advantage for the rest of the half, eventually building the lead to 11 at 36-25 while holding a 38-27 lead at halftime.

In the first half, SLC rookie guard Niko Yuvienco (Queens, N.Y./Christ the King) led all players with 12 points, including 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc. First years Stevan Radosavljevic (Lazarevac, Serbia/Grammar School Lazarevac) and Graham Gilleran (San Francisco, Calif./Archbishop Riordan) led the game with half a dozen rebounds apiece.

By the midpoint of the second half, Gilleran had added 10 points for SLC, and O'Connell pitched in a pair of three-pointers, helping the Green and White amass their largest lead at 58-38.

A 10-0 run by the Steels nearly threatened the Gryphon victory, but SLC was able to hold Culinary to eight points in the final four minutes, preserving the 67-59 win.

O'Connell topped the Gryphons with 13 points in the game, leading the team for the first time this season; the rookie also tallied a season-high seven assists. With 10 points and 12 rebounds, Radosavljevic extended his streak to five-straight double-doubles. Gilleran also posted a double-double—his second of the season—with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Yuvienco and captain Josh Niebloom (Livingston, N.J./Golda Och Academy) also reached double figures, scoring a dozen points each. Guard Wyatt Rocheleau (San Jose, Calif./Christopher) helped the offense with six assists and a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the foul line.

For Culinary, Max Goldberg totaled nine points, Avery Britton notched nine rebounds, Wayne McFarlane tallied four assists, and Ricardo Washington had three steals.

On Sunday, the Gryphons squared off against Alfred (6-1), a team picked to finish second in the Empire 8 in preseason polling. SLC fell behind early, as the Saxons put the first eight points on the scoreboard. At the midpoint of the half, Alfred led 31-18, and the visitors remained firmly in control, 67-40, at halftime.

The Green and White totaled the program's best 20 minutes of free-throw shooting. SLC converted 19-of-21 free throws in the opening half.

Supported by a legion of 21 players, Alfred stayed aggressive at both ends of the floor. The Saxons posted 26 fouls—the most on record by an SLC opponent—and their' full-court pressure was cause for 31 Gryphon turnovers.

Alfred led by as many as 56 points (114-58), but the Gryphon offense remained composed until the buzzer sounded on a 121-70 defeat. The 51 point margin of defeat is SLC's largest on the season, but the 70 Gryphon points still exceeds the team's best against a varsity opponent in 2012-13.

Alfred put five players in double-digit scoring, led by center Steve Lothridge with 13 points and 14 rebounds (11 offensive).

For SLC, Gilleran totaled a team-high 17 points, followed by Rocheleau with 14 points. Rookie Niels Kjer (Manila, Philippines/Brent International School Manila) made an impact off the bench, recording 10 rebounds with a season-high 11 points to earn his first career double-double.

Sarah Lawrence returns to Campbell Sports Center with a rematch against Maritime College on January 7. The Gryphons then host SUNY-IT, Alfred State University and SUNY-ESF for the Sarah Lawrence Tournament, Jan. 10-11.