Release courtesy of Sarah Lawrence College Athletics
BRONXVILLE, N.Y.—Backed by a season-high 25 points by Gryphon captain Josh Niebloom (Livingston, N.J./Golda Och Academy), Sarah Lawrence College men's basketball defeated The King's College, 78-48, in a Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Noyes Court at Campbell Sports Center on Wednesday.
With the win, Sarah Lawrence (6-10, 1-0 HVIAC) is off to a perfect start after its debut in the newly-formed HVIAC; King's (1-10, 0-5 HVIAC) is still seeking its first league win.
The win also set a new record as SLC's highest-scoring game, edging the Gryphons' 77-70 win over Pratt Institute on Feb. 10, 2011.
The Gryphons scored the first five points of the game, but the Lions stayed in the mix, as SLC led 13-9 after six minutes. The Green and White caught fire, propelled by Niebloom's three made three-pointers on three-straight possessions, giving SLC a 25-11 advantage.
By halftime, the SLC lead had swelled to 40-23. Niebloom led the game with 18 points, while rookie Graham Gilleran (San Francisco, Calif./Archbishop Riordan) totaled 12 points in the period.
SLC began the second half on a 7-2 run, and rookie Brendan O'Connell (Andover, Mass./Phillips Academy Andover) scored five of his seven points on back-to-back plays to trigger a 13-4 streak. With seven minutes to play, Sarah Lawrence broke open its largest lead at 69-35. The Lions converted on 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch to close the gap to a 78-48 final.
Niebloom was held to just seven points in the second half en route to the sophomore captain's 25 in the game. Gilleran pocketed a half-dozen in the period to finish with 18. Gilleran also tallied five blocks, increasing his HVIAC-leading total to 37 on the season.
Mat Gerak (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) led SLC with eight points in the second half, scoring 3-for-5 from the field and converting a pair of free throws. First year Wyatt Rocheleau (San Jose, Calif./Christopher) dished out a personal-best seven assists and collected a season-high 11 rebounds, including 10 off the defensive glass. Classmate Nikos Efstratudakis (London, Ontario/American Community School of Athens) gathered a season-best five rebounds.
On the day, SLC shot 40 percent from the field and 17-of-21 (81%) from the free-throw line. The Gryphons' 13 turnovers were their fewest in the last nine games.
For King's, Jermiah Gill led the visitors with 18 points while shooting 12-for-15 from the charity stripe. James Brooks led TKC with nine rebounds.
Sarah Lawrence continues conference play on Saturday, when the Gryphons host Culinary Institute of America at 2 p.m. SLC defeated the Steels, 67-59, in a non-conference game in their previous meeting on Dec. 14.
