NEW YORK, N.Y. - The Sarah Lawrence men's basketball team reduced a 29-point halftime deficit to single digits, but the Maccabees escaped with a 81-74 victory to keep an unblemished Skyline record. The team will wrap up the regular season with a home contest on Wednesday, February 18th before a road clash with Mount Saint Mary College on Saturday, February 21st. The team is locked in to host a Skyline Conference Tournament Game on Tuesday, February 24th.
Notable Performers
- Andrew Kim led the team with 17 points while adding five assists
- Gabe Downes added 15 points along with four rebounds and a pair of assists
- Chris Dougherty grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds in his 102nd career game, becoming the program's all-time leader in both categories
How it Happened
The two teams battled early, with a back-and-forth affair indicative of the past few year's worth of matchups. For the Gryphons, a pair of scores inside by Kim sandwiched a
Braden Burman triple to start off the night, but four early YU scores put the hosts ahead 8-7. The frontrunner for conference player of the year, Zevi Samet, got on the board next to put the Maccabees up by four before another YU score extended the lead to six points and forced an SLC timeout less than four minutes into the game. Downes answered with a score out of the stoppage, but the Maccabees pushed ahead, scoring seemingly twice for every SLC basket and ballooning the lead to 15 points with 3:39 to play in the half. The Maccabees then ended the half on a 14-0 run thanks to 11 points from Samet, carrying a 61-32 advantage into the break.
The visitors did their best to cut into the lead after halftime, scoring the period's first 14 points to reduce the lead. A second-chance score by Dougherty started the run before back-to-back conversions from Downes kept momentum on the side of the visitors. A steal by Kim set up a layup by
Eamon Kelly in transition and back-to-back three-point plays by
Kyle Jefferson and Kim had brought the Gryphons within 15 with under 15 to play. Samet stepped up to stop the bleeding, connecting from deep for the game's next two scores to re-assert a 20-point cushion for the hosts. Kim stepped up for SLC in response, scoring seven of the game's next 10 points, with the lone exception being a Kelly triple, and closing the gap to 13 points with 8:15 remaining. Samet answered in turn from deep, but ten straight points from Kelly and Burman brought the Gryphons within six as the clock hit four minutes. A one-for-two trip to the line for YU was answered with another score by Kim, this time reducing the once-immense deficit to just five points. The Maccabees would close the game out with strong shooting from the line, withstanding late scores by Downes, Burman and
Thomas Matonti while holding on for the victory and season sweep over the Gryphons.
Up Next
The Gryphons (14-9, Skyline 11-3) will return to action at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday against the Valiants of Manhattanville before a noon matchup with the Knights of MSMC on Saturday the 21st. The team will host the sixth seed in the Skyline tournament on February 24th, marking the second consecutive year with a home postseason contest in Bronxville.
