BROOKLYN --- Visiting Sarah Lawrence College took a 40-20 halftime lead and stormed out of intermission on a 22-1 run in its 78-32 win over Pratt Friday night in Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball play.
Playing minus leading scorer and rebounder Ari Grant, Pratt kept the contest close early. A Nicholas Lensadner mid-range jumper cut Sarah Lawrence's lead to 8-4 at the 16:00 mark, but the Gryphons then galloped to a 16-0 run in which Wyatt Rocheleau scored all 10 of his points in putting Sarah Lawrence on top 24-4. Another jumper and a pair of Lensander free throws cut the deficit to 28-15 just outside the 6:00 mark before a Nikos Efstratudakis three-pointer increased the lead back to 20 at 38-18 late in the first.
Sarah Lawrence was scorching from deep, hitting 5-11 treys (45 percent) in the first half and 8-14 (57 percent) on the night. A pair of Brendan O'Connell threes sparked a 12-0 run out of halftime, making it a 52-20 game, and the visitors cruised to a 78-32 win in improving to 8-11 overall and 3-0 in HVIAC play.
Niels Kjer came off the bench to pace four Gryphons in double figures with 15 points, and fellow reserve Mat Gerak added 14, with O'Connell hitting 3-3 from distance for 11 points in 21 minutes.
For Pratt (4-8, 0-4 HVIAC), freshman Mehmet Dognata logged his second straight double-digit performance with 12 points on 5-11 shooting, totaling a team-best five rebounds. Lensander and senior guard Sam Peterson added six points each for the Cannoneers.
Pratt returns to play on Monday at 6:00 p.m. in HVIAC play at Berkeley (NY) College.
