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MBB Recap Feb 16th (Aiden Morel, Thomas Matonti, Brady Burman)
Walker Liggitt
91
Yeshiva YU 14-9,11-3 Skyline
94
Winner Sarah Lawrence SLC 15-8,11-3 Skyline
Yeshiva YU
14-9,11-3 Skyline
91
Final
94
Sarah Lawrence SLC
15-8,11-3 Skyline
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Yeshiva YU 46 45 91
Sarah Lawrence SLC 47 47 94

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Zach Perbeck

Three-Point Explosion Propels Men's Basketball over Yeshiva; Moves into the Top Spot in Gold Division

BRONXVILLE, N.Y. - The Sarah Lawrence men's basketball team moved into first place in the Skyline's Gold Division on Sunday after taking down the Maccabees of Yeshiva for a come-from-behind victory. The Gryphons got a combined 44 points from sharpshooters Aiden Morel and Thomas Matonti and a career-high 23 points from Braden Burman in the victory.

Notable Performers
  • Morel led the way with a career-best 29 points and hit five triples
  • Matonti contribute five shots from long range as well, putting up an efficient 15 points
  • Burman scored a career-high 23 points while grabbing six boards and distributing three assists
  • Chris Dougherty pulled down 16 rebounds and blocked three shots for the Gryphons

How it Happened

Morel got going early after earning his first collegiate start, hitting his first triple of the day less than two minutes into the game. Burman and Morel combined for SLC's first 12 points, keeping the Gryphons ahead early but with the Maccabees close behind. With 13:43 to play, the Maccabees got their first lead of the night, but for less than 20 seconds as Matonti entered the game and connected on a three-pointer of his own, returning the advantage to the Gryphons. After a long-range response by YU, Matonti stepped into another, once again propelling SLC back into the lead. One minute later, with the score once again flipping in favor of the Maccabees, Matonti made his third shot of the night, forcing a YU timeout with 11:20 remaining in the half. The teams would continue to trade scores, but a pair of contested driving layups by Andrew Kim in back-to-back SLC possessions energized the crowd in Bronxville and gave the Gryphons a two-point lead with just under nine minutes to play. After a couple minutes of scoreless basketball, Morel would return to the scorebook with a triple to give SLC a two-possession advantage. YU's Luke Cronin and SLC's Lemar Fulmore Jr. would exchange paint scores before a tip-in by Dougherty a minute later gave the hosts a 38-31 lead. Standout guard Zevi Samet stepped up in response for YU with a triple, but two trips to the line and a Matonti transition triple would give SLC their biggest lead of the day, a 44-34 advantage with 3:38 remaining in the first half. The Maccabees would prove that they belong at the top of the standings, scoring the next 12 points to claim a slight lead with 21 seconds to go. As he had done all day, Morel stepped up for the Gryphons in the final possession of the half, taking a Fulmore Jr. pass and connecting from the top of the key with seconds remaining as he sent his team into the break with a one-point lead.

And just how it ended, was how it started, Morel took one of Kim's eight assists and scored from deep to open the second half and put the Gryphons up by four. The two teams refused to separate, as neither squad built up a lead of four or more points until the Maccabees finally put together a run, scoring nine straight points to claim a 70-61 lead with 12:21 remaining. Burman would find fellow junior Dean Furlong to stop the run momentarily, but an immediate answer by the Maccabees brought the lead to 10 points. The Maccabees continuously got to the line, eventually building a 13-point advantage with 8:23 remaining, threatening to run away with both the game and the top seed in the Gold Division. Burman would step up to stop YU's momentum, scoring unassisted, but once again the Maccabees would respond. Despite the constant equalizers, Burman was determined to draw the Gryphons back into the game, scoring five straight points just minutes later to bring the Gryphons within seven as 4:46 remained on the clock. A single made free throw by the Maccabees would give them an 85-77 advantage, but Burman would once again step up for SLC, this time getting to the line and converting on both shots to make it a two-possession game. The Maccabees continued to respond, answering Burman's free throws and Morel's layup on the ensuing SLC possession to carry an eight-point lead into the final two minutes and change. 

Right before the two-minute mark, Morel would get a chance at the line after being fouled on a three-pointer, making the first two before an Andrew Kim offensive rebound on the third gave the Gryphons an extra possession. The sophomore stepped up himself this time, connecting from the top of the key to cut the lead to just three points with 1:46 remaining. On the ensuing YU possession, defensive standout Kyle Jefferson forced a turnover by YU's Samet, giving the Gryphons a chance to further cut into the lead or possibly tie the game. The team put the ball in the hands of Burman once again, who could not finish at the rim, but Dougherty was there for a tip-in to bring the score to 91-90 and reduce Yeshiva's lead to just one point. The Maccabees would get a solid look on their next possession, but a strong contest by the Gryphons on the first shot and on the putback attempt gave the hosts the ball with 1:19 remaining and a chance to take the lead. With the game on the line, it would be Morel who stepped up, finding himself open on a backdoor cut as Dougherty found his teammate underneath the basket for a score that put the Gryphons up 92-91 with a minute to play. After a YU timeout, the Gryphons were forced to clamp down on the Maccabee's next possession, as a strong contest from Kim and a huge defensive board for Dougherty gave the Gryphons possession with 12 seconds to play. Burman then stepped up to the line and hit both of his free throws, extending the lead to three points and forcing another YU timeout as the Maccabees devised a plan to tie the game. The Maccabees got a pair of three-pointers in the air within the final few seconds, but neither would fall, sending the Gryphons back atop the Skyline's Gold Division with a sweep of the season series.

Up Next

The Gryphons (15-8, Skyline 11-3) will wrap up their regular season road slate with a 7:00 p.m. matchup at Mount Saint Vincent on Wednesday, February 19th. The Gryphons defeated the Dolphins by 19 earlier this season in Bronxville. The team will then wrap up their regular season with a senior day matchup against Manhattanville on Saturday, February 22nd before looking ahead to the postseason, where the Gryphons will host a first-round matchup on Tuesday, February 25th.