Box Score
BRONXVILLE, N.Y.—Despite the high-scoring efforts of senior Francis Oppong (Brooklyn, N.Y., Erasmus) and junior Greg Smith (Tampa, Fla., Gaither), Sarah Lawrence College men's basketball fell to Culinary Institute of America, 62-49, in a Hudson Valley Men's Athletic Conference (HVMAC) game at Noyes Court at Campbell Sports Center on Saturday.

Culinary (3-3, 2-0 HVMAC) led wire-to-wire as the Steels jumped out to a 7-1 advantage by way of five points from sophomore Travis Prank (Tracy, Calif., West).

Sarah Lawrence (4-8, 0-2 HVMAC) closed the gap to one at 10-9 thanks to back-to-back layups by Oppong, who totaled eight points in the opening period.

From there, the Steels powered through an 11-2 run with four points from Anthony Russo (Holmdel, N.J., Holmdel) to take a double-digit lead at 21-11.

Gryphon Smith kept the Green and White in contention by converting a pair of three-point shots late in the period. He led all players with 10 points in the opening half as Culinary possessed a 33-25 edge at halftime.

Sarah Lawrence senior John Collector (Santa Barbara, Calif., Dos Pueblos) scored the first points of the second stanza with a deep trey, and sophomore Malcolm Knowles (Houston, Texas, School of the Woods) cut the deficit to four at 33-29.

Back-to-back field goals by Culinary's Wayne McFarlane (Fort Pierce, Fla., Fort Pierce) helped the Steels regain momentum at 40-29. Despite another pair of three-point baskets from Smith, the visitors regained a double-digit lead at 47-37.

With the Gryphons trailing 54-40, Oppong's free-throw shooting netted five straight points for the hosts to cut the gap to single digits. In the end, Sarah Lawrence's rally ran out of time as the Steels were able to hold on for their second victory in league play.

Oppong led all players with 18 points, matching the total of Culinary's McFarlane. Smith notched his second double-double in as many games with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Smith also added a game-high of five steals and a team-high with two blocks.

Collector picked up eight rebounds on the day, while Knowles and rookie Juan Sucre (Caracas, Venezuela, ASFM (Monterrey, Mexico)) each posted three assists for Sarah Lawrence.

In addition to McFarlane's 18, Culinary had three players with double-digit scoring totals: Prank finished the day with 11, Russo added 10 points, and sophomore Marcus Rivera (Santa Fe, N.M., Santa Fe) totaled 10. Rivera also completed a double-double with 10 boards, including eight on defense.

Sarah Lawrence now enjoys the winter break and will return in 2013. Action resumes with a home showdown against The King's College on January 16, and the season concludes in February with the HVMAC Championship and Landmark College Click Invitational.