Box Score Archived Video

BRONXVILLE, N.Y.—Senior co-captain Graham Gilleran (San Francisco, Calif./Archbishop Riordan) led the Gryphons with 16 points as Sarah Lawrence College men's basketball defeated U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, 72-60, in Skyline action at Noyes Court at Campbell Sports Center on Wednesday. The win marks SLC's first ever road-and-home sweep of a Skyline opponent in a single season.

IN SHORT
Sarah Lawrence (8-14, 4-9 Skyline) def. Merchant Marine (7-15, 3-10 Skyline), 72-60.

KEY MOMENTS
Gilleran had the honor of scoring the game's first points on a three-point basket. Rookie BJ Sanders (Silver Spring, Md./Georgetown Prep) contributed two early field goals, and another trey by Gilleran gave the Gryphons a 15-6 advantage after six minutes.

With 12 minutes to play in the opening half, rookie Joseph Kleeman (Greenwood Village, Colo./Arapahoe) converted a three-pointer, and junior Malin Segal (Wenham, Mass./Concord Academy) followed suit to extend the lead to double-digits, 25-11. Kleeman and Segal added another pair of three-pointers later in the period to give the Gryphons their largest lead of the half, 38-20. At halftime, SLC led, 40-25. Gilleran led all players with 12 points and four assists in the period, adding a team-high of five rebounds.

Sanders scored the first goal of the second half, and sophomore Austin Jones (Upper Marlboro, Md./Flint Hill School) added a layup. Gilleran drained his third three-pointer of the game to cap a 7-0 run that gave the Green and White a 22-point margin, 47-25.

Merchant Marine regained some momentum and began to chip away at the Mariners' deficit. By the seven-minute mark, the Gryphons' lead had been halved, 57-46. The Gryphons stemmed the tide, and but for a brief period in which SLC led 66-57, visitors were kept at a double-digit distance.

Sarah Lawrence preserved the lead by holding the Mariners scoreless over the last two and a half minutes of the game, excluding a last-second half-court heave to add three points to USMMA's final total. Senior Jeff Jordan II (Smithfield, Va./Smithfield) anchored the Gryphons with 10 points in the period, matching the visitors' best effort.

TOP GRYPHONS
Gilleran paced the Gryphons with 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists. He also tied his career best with five blocks. Three teammates joined him with double-digit scoring, as Sanders finished with five field goals for 10 points, while Kleeman and Jordan each finished on 10 points.

Senior Mat Gerak (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) contributed nine points, three rebounds, three steals and a pair of blocks. Sophomores Parker Hagmaier (Oakland, Calif./Bishop O'Dowd) and Gabriel Eng (Brooklyn, N.Y./The Beacon School) scored an additional five and four points, respectively.

FOR THE MARINERS
Forward David Washington scored a game-high 17 points and collected 21 rebounds. Three other Mariners finished with double-digit scoring, including Connor Green, Kijona Henley and Matt Miller.

GRYPHONS HISTORY
In the team's third season in the league, the win marks the first time that Sarah Lawrence has swept a two-game series against a Skyline opponent. The Gryphons have amassed eight wins, their highest total during that time span, and their four conference wins are double their total from 2015-16. Wednesday's win is also the team's first this season in which the Gryphons led from start to finish.

UP NEXT
Sarah Lawrence travels to Purchase College on Saturday. The Gryphons will play their final home game in their season finale on Saturday, February 18, against Mount Saint Mary College.