Box Score RIVERDALE, N.Y.—History was made as the Gryphons earned their first ever Skyline Conference men's basketball victory when Sarah Lawrence College defeated College of Mount Saint Vincent, 84-75, at the Peter Jay Sharp Center on Saturday.

IN SHORT
Sarah Lawrence (3-12, 1-10 Skyline) def. Mount Saint Vincent (7-9, 6-5 Skyline), 84-75.

THE EARLY MINUTES
Sarah Lawrence sprinted out to an early lead in the contest. Junior Ege Ozcan (Istanbul, Turkey/Andrews Osborne Acad. (Ohio)) scored six early points, while classmate Mat Gerak (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) had four points in the first four minutes. Captain Graham Gilleran (San Francisco, Calif./Archbishop Riordan) was successful on an early three-pointer, and after six minutes, SLC was ahead, 13-3.

CMSV rallied by scoring 13 of the next 15 points. In four minutes of game time, the Gryphon lead completely evaporated, and the Dolphins were on top, 16-15. SLC regained the lead on its next possession, and the Green and White quietly maintained a 23-22 edge, with five and a half minutes to play in the opening period.

GRYPHONS REGAIN MOMENTUM
SLC caught fire, scoring on six of seven straight possessions. The Gryphons scored 13 points while their defense stonewalled the Dolphins, holding CMSV scoreless for a 36-22 SLC lead. The Green and White scored all six points of the final two minutes, including a 4 for 4 effort at the foul line. With the score 42-26 at the break, the Gryphons had a 16-point halftime lead—the program's largest against a Skyline foe.

FIRST HALF STATS
Gerak (15 points), Gilleran (12) and Ozcan (eight) combined for over 90 percent of the Gryphons' first-half scoring; Ozcan led all players with six rebounds. Rookie Gabe Eng (Brooklyn, N.Y./The Beacon School) came off the bench to convert four free throws, and sophomore Malin Segal (Wenham, Mass./Concord Academy) added a successful three-pointer.

SLC IN CONTROL
For the first five minutes of the second half, SLC fought off the Dolphins and kept their rivals at a safe nine-point distance. The Gryphons had a scare when CMSV pulled within six, 50-44, before a 6-0 run doubled the lead to a healthy 12 points, 56-44. With 11 minutes to go, SLC was on top by double-digits, 59-47.

DOLPHINS PULL WITHIN REACH
Mount Saint Vincent scored the next seven points of the game, closing the gap to five, 59-54. A pair of SLC free throws were offset by two CMSV field goals on back-to-back possessions. At the eight-minute mark, the game was a toss up, SLC 61 – CMSV 58.

Gilleran turned the tide with a layup, and Ozcan scored the game's next four points one at a time. SLC's 67-58 lead was challenged with seven straight points by CMSV, and the Gryphons were clinging to a two-point edge, 67-65 with four and a half to go.

GRYPHONS PULL AWAY
Rookie Austin Jones (Upper Marlboro, Md./Flint Hill School)  and Ozcan made field goals to earn their team some breathing room. Ozcan potted a trey with three minutes left to give SLC a 74-67 lead. Needing to burn the clock on their next possession, the Gryphons passed the ball for 30 seconds, leading to a successful try by rookie Parker Hagmaier (Oakland, Calif./Bishop O'Dowd).

In a race against the clock, the SLC defense did its job by holding the Dolphins to two field goals in the final two minutes. On the offensive end, SLC was unable to pull the trigger on any shots, yet seven successful attempts from the free-throw line were able to ice the 84-75 victory. The Gryphons earned their first Skyline victory in the program's second season in the league.

GRYPHON LEADERS
Ozcan scored 15 points in the second half, totaling 23 in the game and surpassing the 20-point mark for the first time in his career. Along with 11 rebounds in the game, Ozcan earned the first double-double of his career.

Gerak's 20-point performance was his third-straight game with 20 or more. He finished the night 10 for 11 from the charity stripe. Gilleran totaled 19 points, adding seven rebounds. Eng and Segal had six points each, while Jones and Hagmaier had four apiece. Jones led the team with four assists, and Gilleran added two blocks.

FOR THE DOLPHINS
Mike Mulligan and Jesse Regina led their team with 15 points each. Andrew Curiel had a double-double on 13 points and 14 rebounds, while Trevor Johnson scored in double figures with 10 points.

WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK
The teams were whistled for a combined 56 fouls in the game, including 34 in the second half. By the final horn, two players from each team were benched for reaching the five-foul limit.

UP NEXT
Sarah Lawrence returns to Campbell Sports Center for two games in the coming week. The Gryphons host St. Joseph's College Long Island on Monday at 6 p.m. before playing host to Purchase College at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.