FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - The Sarah Lawrence men's basketball team wrapped up their season on Thursday night, falling to too-seeded Farmingdale State in the Skyline Tournament Semifinals. The Gryphons were bested by the Rams 81-66 at Nold Hall, but the contest was a nine-point game with under eight minutes to play.

Top Performers

• Senior forward Lucas Murray punctuated his SLC career with a 19-point and nine-rebound performance to lead all scorers
• Braden Burman added 14 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Gryphons
• Sophomore John Kairouz had a career day, scoring 11 points, including three made triples on just four attempts

How it Happened

The opening ten minutes of play were the complete opposite of Tuesday's quarterfinal win over Maritime, with both team scoring fruitfully. The Rams kicked off the scoring on the first possession, but the Gryphons immediately answered, with first-year guard Andrew Kim scoring off a Burman assist before the sophomore from San Diego found his own shot on the next SLC possession, scoring to give the Gryphons an early one-possession lead. After a score by Skyline Player-of-the-Year hopeful Nick Hurowitz, Murray stepped out at the top of the key and nailed a three-pointer off a pass by Kim. The Rams answered with a triple of their own but Murray gave the fans a sense of deja vu with a nearly identical shot to reclaim the lead for SLC. Hurowitz stepped up for FSC with an answer and a three-point play by Jevon Santos gave the Rams a two-point lead just over three minutes into play. A made free throw by Murray and a Chris Dougherty layup gave the Gryphons a brief lead, but an Aaron Davis triple gave the lead right back to the Rams. On the ensuing SLC possession, it would be Eamon Kelly to answer the call, connecting from deep to swing the game back in favor of the Gryphons, albeit for a short period of time. The lead would hold for nearly a minute before FSC senior Corey Powell scored to put the hosts up by one again. Burman would answer for the Gryphons over a minute later, with another lead change favoring the Gryphons by one point before a 5-0 run in favor of the Rams gave the hosts a 22-18 lead with over 11 minutes remaining, bringing the game's scoring total above Tuesday's first-half total in just nine minutes of play. Murray would score again, making it a one-possession game after receiving a pass from Kelly and finding the bottom of the net. The Rams would continue to answer and make shots to stay ahead, but Murray would keep the Gryphons in the game, scoring the next four points for SLC before a John Kairouz jumper reduced the lead to two with under seven to play. After trading layups, Kairouz would step into a triple and connect, giving the Gryphons a one-point lead and swinging the game's momentum in favor of the visitors. FSC's duo of Hurowitz and Powell would score the game's next nine points before a two-for-two trip to the line for Murray and another triple by Kelly reduced the lead to five with a minute-and-a-half to go. Scoring for the final 90 seconds would be scarce, with a pair of free throws by Farmingdale being the only scores, giving the Rams a 43-36 advantage heading into the break.

Burman started the scoring in the second half, connecting on a jumper in SLC's first possession to make it a five-point game. Hurowitz would score the next two baskets, but another Kairouz triple would stop the run and keep the lead to single digits. After an empty possession by the Rams, Kairouz would strike from deep again, for the third time on the day, to make it a one-possession game less than four minutes into the second half. Hurowitz would put the Rams on his back, scoring again to answer the three-point barrage, but Kim would take his turn on the ensuing SLC possession, as Kairouz found the first year for a triple of his own, reducing the lead to just two points with a long 15 minutes of basketball left to be played. Murray would bring the lead to one after a made free throw, but the Rams would get a burst of energy, going on a 7-0 run initiated by another score from Powell. Kim answered the run with layup but an immediate response by FSC's Michael Notias and a score by Jevon Santos brought the home lead to ten points. The Gryphons would battle back, but each score was met with a response by the Rams, keeping the hosts firmly in control. A Lucas Murray layup reduced the gap to nine points with just over seven minutes remaining, but despite triples from Burman and Aiden Morel down the stretch, the Rams were able to stay ahead and clinch a spot in this weekend's Skyline Tournament Championship Game in Farmingdale.

Season Wrap-Up

The Gryphons (14-13, Skyline 10-6) finish the season with the program's second ever appearance in the Skyline semifinal round, finishing as the conference's number five seed with the fourth-best regular-season record. The team will graduate senior Lucas Murray, who has been the heart and soul of the Gryphons, as they look forward to the 2024-25 season after a successful 2023-24 campaign.