BRONXVILLE, N.Y. - The Sarah Lawrence men's basketball team took down Mount Saint Vincent by a score of 65-57 on Saturday afternoon after celebrating a historic senior class featuring eight four-year contributors. The Gryphons saw a pair of seniors cement themselves as program trailblazers, with Braden Burman securing his 1,000th point with a late-game free throw while Eamon Kelly connected from deep to become the program's all-time leading scorer.

Notable Performers

• Burman scored 11 total points, including a pair of free throws with 22 seconds left for his 1,000th and 1,001st career points
• Gabe Downes led the team with 12 points, including a pair of second-half three-pointers
• Kelly's lone score of the game was his record-breaking triple

How it Happened

Seniors Kyle Jefferson, John Kairouz, Derek Hickman, Mason Meyers and Burman earned starts for SLC, getting the Gryphons going early thanks to scores by Jefferson and Hickman. Both teams failed to stuff the statsheet early, being tied at four points apiece until a UMSV free throw at the 15:02 mark. Hickman and Jefferson each converted once more to put the Gryphons up 8-5 with 14 minutes to play in the half. The Dolphins took the next four points to claim a brief advantage, but Thomas Matonti stepped into the first of his three long-range connections and put SLC back on top by a score of 11-9 with under 12 to play. Downes got his first bucket to fall a minute later, but a triple in response by the Dolphins kept it a one possesion game. The visitors added another score to take the lead, but Meyers converted inside to return the lead to the hosts. After the Dolphins answered, Burman got on the board for the first time this game, striking from distance and continuing the tug-of-war-like affair. The teams continued to go back-and-forth, with Kelly connecting from deep with under three to play, cementing himself as the program's all-time leading scorer. Burman added a layup before the half, sending the Gryphons into the break with a seven-point advantage.

Burman started the second half with a score, bringing himself within three points of the 1,000-point threshold. The senior connected again a minute later, putting the Gryphons up by 11 points and bringing himself within a single score of the mark. Hickman converted at the line, but the Dolphins erased the double-digit lead, bringing it within four before Downes took a pass from Kelly and turned it into three points, stopping the run. The Dolphins immediately responded, taking five straight points to reduce the SLC lead to one before Matonti stepped into his second triple of the day, getting the Campbell Sports Center crowd on their feet. The Dolphins tied the contest up after a trio of free throws, but Downes stepped up once again, as the first year connected from deep to put SLC back on top. The White Plains product then converted inside to extend the SLC lead before another Matonti triple minutes later put SLC up by six. Andrew Kim and Chris Dougherty secured the win down the stretch for SLC, with Kim getting to the rim at will and Dougherty converting on two long-range shots to keep the Gryphons in control.

Up Next

The Gryphons (13-8, Skyline 10-2) will return to action on Tuesday, January 10th as the team hosts Purchase College in their penultimate home contest of the regular season. The team will wrap up their home slate on Wednesday, January 18th before kicking off the Skyline Championship on Tuesday, February 24th.