BRONX, N.Y. - The Sarah Lawrence men's basketball team overcame a 13-point deficit late in the second half to take down the hosting Lightning of Lehman College on Tuesday Night. Senior standout Eamon Kelly hit a contested three-pointer while smothered by a pair of Lehman defenders to give the Gryphons a one-point lead with 0.6 seconds remaining, propelling the team a 67-66 victory with a handful of late triples.

Notable Performers

• Kelly led all players with 18 points, connecting on six three-pointers
• Braden Burman added 14 points for the Gryphons
• Thomas Matonti scored 11 off the bench, including a trio of triples

How it Happened

The Lightning were in control for most of the first half, but the Gryphons stayed in the game by preventing the hosts to pull away. Noah Elovitz-Fields scored six of the team's first 12 points to keep the Gryphons in the game early, but Lehman put together a 22-12 lead after nine minutes and change. A pair of three-pointers by Matonti helped keep the Gryphons within reach before scores from Andrew Kim, Burman and Kelly followed suit. A Lehman triple with two minutes remaining extended the lead to three possessions, but a steal by Aiden Morel led to a triple by Burman before a Gabe Downes rebound turned into a triple by Kelly at the other end, reducing the lead to one as the teams entered the intermission.

The Lightning came out of the halftime break with purpose, re-asserting a double-digit lead halfway through the period. Elias Flaim got to the free throw line shortly after entering the game and Matonti scored twice from the field, but the Lightning seemed poised to maintain a double-digit advantage after answering each SLC score. After Lehman went up by thirteen with 6:04 remaining, the Gryphons finally broke through when Braden Burman hit a jumper at 5:48 to stop the slide. His own offensive rebound moments later set up a strong drive for a layup at 4:34, cutting the gap to 63-54. A turnover by Lehman kept momentum with Sarah Lawrence, and the Gryphons struck quickly: Andrew Kim found Chris Dougherty, and the big man drilled a three at 4:13 to bring the game within 63-57. Lehman briefly steadied themselves with a free throw at 3:36, but Eamon Kelly answered immediately with a deep three at 3:18, slicing the Lightning lead to 64-60. Another defensive stand forced a turnover at 2:44, setting up Burman at the foul line. He split the pair at 2:22, but Kim hustled for the offensive board, extending the possession. Though the follow-up shots didn't fall, the Gryphons had firmly tilted the momentum.

A Lehman fastbreak made it 66-61 with just over two minutes left, but that would be their final field goal of the night. Sarah Lawrence responded once more: Kelly slipped a screen before being found by Burman, and the New Orleans product buried a huge three at 1:33, trimming the deficit to 66-64. From there, the Gryphons' defense delivered three straight stops, highlighted by a contested miss from Jayden Norris at 1:15 and another empty Lehman possession under a minute. With ten seconds left, Dougherty secured an offensive rebound after a Burman miss, prompting a final timeout with the game on the line. The Gryphons executed perfectly out of the huddle. Working the clock down to its final breaths, they briefly freed Kelly on the perimeter, and he rose up in the face of two defenders for the decisive three with one second left, giving Sarah Lawrence its first lead of the day. Lehman could not do anything with the 0.6 seconds remaining, and Kelly's third triple of the final four minutes sealed the one-point comeback road victory.

Up Next

The Gryphons (2-4) will return to action on Saturday as they take on the Division I Columbia Lions in an exhibition match in New York City. The Gryphons and Lions will face off at 2:00 p.m. and the game will be livestreamed on ESPN+, available to those with an ESPN+ subscription.