BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The Sarah Lawrence men's basketball team bounced back with a 63-58 victory at St. Joseph's Brooklyn Thursday at The Hill Center. The Gryphons complete the season sweep of the Bears, improving to 8-7 overall and 6-4 in Skyline play.
IN SHORT
Sarah Lawrence (8-7, 6-4) def. St. Joseph's Brooklyn (5-9, 4-6), 63-58
TOP GRYPHON PERFORMANCES
Enike Anyia, who played every minute of the contest, had a strong performance for Sarah Lawrence, posting his seventh double-double of the season. The Skyline and MBWA Player of the Week honoree finished with 19 points and a career-high 20 rebounds. It's the third 20-rebound performance by a Gryphon in school history, joining Rich Hempel (21 - 2008) and Stevan Radosavljevic (20 - 2014). The sophomore also contributed three assists.
BJ Sanders posted his third double-double of the year, recording 17 points and 11 rebounds. The junior also handed out three helpers.
Omar Jamaleddine finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a pair of blocks, while Austin Jones notched five points, a season-high 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. The senior has recorded two or more steals in three consecutive games.
Isaiah Pean posted a stat line of seven points and three rebounds, while Kaleb Robinson, who got the start, finished with five points, two rebounds and two steals.
RECAP
Sarah Lawrence turned in a scrappy performance against a St. Joseph's Brooklyn squad that entered the day on a four-game winning streak. It's the Gryphons second-ever season sweep of a Skyline opponent. It was also road win No. 4 for Sarah Lawrence, a new team record for victories away from home in a season.
After scoring the first basket of the game, Sarah Lawrence fell behind early, trailing the Bears 13-6 with 12:16 remaining in the half.
The Gryphons chipped away at the deficit, scoring seven straight points, keyed by four points from Pean and a 3-pointer from Robinson, knotting the score 13-13 with 8:39 left in the half. The two teams traded baskets for several minutes, as Sarah Lawrence held a 26-22 edge with 2:52 remaining in the stanza. St. Joseph's Brooklyn finished the period on an 8-2 spurt to take a 30-28 advantage into halftime.
The two squads continued to trade baskets in the second half, with a score of 40-40 with 12:28 remaining in regulation. Sarah Lawrence created separation with a 7-1 run over 4:24 to take a 47-41 lead, its largest margin of the contest.
Sarah Lawrence maintained its lead, despite the Bears getting within a point (58-57) with 1:58 left to play. The Gryphons did a great job crashing the boards late, grabbing two critical offensive rebounds in the final 1:04, turning them into points to secure the win.
Offensive rebounding played a large role in the success of the Gryphons in the second half. Sarah Lawrence grabbed nine offensive rebounds in the final frame, resulting in 16 second chance points.
UP NEXT
Sarah Lawrence returns to action on Saturday (Jan. 12), hosting Maritime at Campbell Sports Center. Game time is set for 3 p.m.
