SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - The Sarah Lawrence men's basketball team fell to Union College by a score of 72-65 on Wednesday night, with the Gryphons staying close with the Garnet Chargers throughout the contest before a late barrage from deep gave the hosts some breathing room.

Notable Performers

• Eamon Kelly led all scorers with 14 points and added in eight rebounds
• Braden Burman totaled 13 points and six boards
• John Kairouz earned the start for SLC, leading all players with 11 rebounds while contributing seven points

How it Happened

The Gryphons got ahead early, using five points from Kariouz and a Burman fastbreak score to open up a narrow 7-5 advantage. The two teams remained close, with Union holding a brief lead before back-to-back triples by Andrew Kim and Thomas Matonti gave SLC a three-point advantage. Another score by Burman and Kelly's first triple of the day extended the Gryphons' lead and forced a Union timeout nearly halfway through the first period. The Garnet Chargers came out of their timeout firing, as back-to-back three-pointers closed the gap and reduced the SLC lead to just two points. The hosts continued to close the gap, but scores by Burman and Lemar Fulmore Jr. helped keep the Gryphons ahead for the time being. Union would not be held down for long, embarking on a seven-point run that saw them claim a four-point advantage and for a timeout by the Gryphons in an attempt to stop the momentum. After empty possessions on both ends of the floor, Kelly was able to find fellow junior Dean Furlong for a triple that brought the Gryphons within a point of the Garnet Chargers and threaten to make a run heading into the halftime intermission. Unfortunately, Union would answer with a jumper and a three-point play to claim a two-possession lead with three minutes remaining. After two more empty possessions, SLC first-year Gavin Wright would go two-for-two from the line to bring the Gryphons within four points of the lead and set Kelly up to close the gap to just one with a three-pointer on the ensuing SLC possession. In the final minute of the half, Union's Tanner Tedesco would convert on a jumper to give the hosts a three-point lead at halftime.

The second half would see the teams trade points throughout the first ten minutes, with the Garnet Chargers remaining ahead despite scores from Kim, Kelly, Chris Dougherty and a pair of triples from sophomore Aiden Morel. The Gryphons would not be able to string together a scoring run until a Kairouz layup was followed up by a steal from the junior, ending up in a fastbreak score for Kelly off an assist from Kim that cut the lead to one. After a lone make from the line by Union, Burman would connect from deep on another Kim assist, this time giving the Gryphons a one-point lead with eight-and-a-half to play. Despite the late run from the Gryphons, the hosts would not flinch, scoring the next 13 points of the contest to claim a 12-point lead with four-and-a-half minutes remaining. Kelly would connect again from deep to stop the run, but it would be too much to overcome, despite SLC's best efforts. Burman would convert on a three-point play and Matonti would connect from deep to cut the lead to five with just over one to play, but the Garnet Chargers would hold on for a narrow non-conference victory.

Up Next

The Gryphons (1-2) will return to play at the Campbell Sports Center on Saturday, November 16th as they wrap up the day's homecoming festivities by hosting Vassar College for an 8:00 p.m. tip-off.