BRONXVILLE, N.Y. - After 39 minutes and 13 seconds of back-and-forth play in Kings Point, N.Y., the Sarah Lawrence College Gryphons and the USMMA Mariners found themselves tied at 75. After a final 10 seconds of mayhem, the Mariners claimed the victory by a score of 77-75. The Gryphons now have two games remaining in the 2022-23 regular season, including senior day on Saturday, February 18th against Maritime.

By the Numbers

• Senior Chris Torres continued his stellar offensive play as he led the Gryphons with a game-high 24 points
• Justin DiFabio continued to build upon his Skyline Rookie of the Week honors from last week as he tallied 19 points, shooting 100% from the free-throw line
• Eamon Kelly scored 17 points for Sarah Lawrence while pulling down six rebounds
• Sophomore Amos Grey put up a solid all-around performance as he tallied a career-high 13 assists while pulling down nine rebounds in addition to his four points

How it Happened

The Mariners would jump out to an early 8-0 lead thanks to five points by Demarcus Spivey but it would be the Gryphons who would battle back to take an 11-8 lead just minutes later thanks to an onslaught of three-pointers from DiFabio and Torres. Torres would continue his impressive shooting with back-to-back three-pointers a few minutes later to help secure a 20-18 Sarah Lawrence lead. The two teams refused to be separated, as they would spend the remainder of the first half trading baskets and keeping the other team within striking distance. With just over a minute remaining in the half the Mariners would bring their lead to seven after a three-point play by the aforementioned Spivey, but it would once again be Torres and Kelly to keep the Gryphons close, as they each scored in the final minute to reduce the lead to three at halftime.

The second half was a much more volatile period for both teams, with the Gryphons coming out of the gates hot and reclaiming the lead, which the two teams would battle for throughout the first four minutes of the period. The Mariners would later embark on an 11-0 scoring run until a Brady Burman jumper broke their streak with 11:49 remaining. Despite the score by Burman, USMMA had done enough damage to claim an eight-point lead and threaten to pull away from Sarah Lawrence. The lead would hover between seven-and-ten points for the Mariners until Kelly decided to take it upon himself and bring the Gryphons back into the game at the five-minute mark. The first year from New Orleans connected from deep off a pass from Torres before Grey found him for a layup just 20 seconds later. With the deficit cut down to three points, his next shot would be the most important of the run. Grey would find Kelly once again, this time off an in-bounds pass, to tie the game at 64. The teams would trade baskets and find themselves knotted up again with 2:02 remaining and an all-important Skyline victory on the line. After a steal by DiFabio, the first year out of Ridgefield, Conn. would find his way to the free-throw line and knock down both attempts to give Sarah Lawrence a two-point lead with 1:04 remaining in the game. The next possession would tie the game up once again as USMMA's Kody Robinson converted to even the score at 75. An empty possession for the Gryphons would give the ball back to the Mariners with 29 seconds and a chance to take a late lead. Isaac Vencel would take advantage of the opportunity and put his team up by two with a layup that left just six seconds on the clock for Sarah Lawrence to answer. After leading the team in scoring all afternoon, the Gryphons would call on Torres, the senior, for the final shot. After bringing the ball all the way up the floor against pressure from the Mariners, Torres put up a last-second contested three from the corner but was unable to connect as the Mariners walked away with the victory in a game where both teams battled through the final buzzer.

Up Next

The Gryphons (6-17, Skyline 4-10) will finish out the 2022-23 regular season with two more games, first traveling to Purchase College on February 14th for a 6:00 p.m. matchup before returning home to close out the regular season with senior day on Saturday, February 18th as Sarah Lawrence hosts Maritime with tip-off scheduled for 1:00 p.m.