NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Yeshiva University men's basketball team suffered a heartbreaking loss to open Skyline play, falling to Sarah Lawrence College by a score of 91-88, at the Max Stern Athletic Center on Tuesday evening. The Gryphons begin conference play 1-0 (2-2 overall), while the Maccabees fall to 0-1 in the Skyline (0-3 overall).

The hero for the Gryphons was freshman guard Andrew Varoli, who drained a shot from beyond the arc to break an 88-88 tie, with 2.7 seconds remaining. The Maccabees led by as many 10 in the opening half but could not hang on.

Yeshiva got off to a strong start in the first period, as senior forward Tal Gweta successfully converted a layup, while being fouled. He drained the free throw to complete the traditional three-point play to put the Macs up, 24-17, with 11:04 remaining in the opening half. Just under two minutes later, senior forward Michael Hayon found Gweta, who drilled a shot from beyond the arc to give YU a 10-point lead, at 29-19.

Yeshiva's momentum continued later in the stanza, as Gweta blocked the opposition's shot and the rebound was grabbed by junior forward Daniel Katz. He threw a long pass to freshman guard Ryan Turell, who dunked the ball off a fast break to increase Yeshiva's lead to 34-25. Sarah Lawrence chipped away at the deficit and narrowed YU's hold to 46-41 at the half.

The Gryphons battled all the way back to tie the game, 52-52, with 14:44 remaining in regulation time. A 3-point field goal by freshman guard Daniel Tzion allowed YU to regain the lead.

Later in the stanza, Turell and junior guard Simcha Halpert combined for back-to-back 3-point shots to propel the home team to a 71-62 lead with 10:26 to go. Sarah Lawrence did not go down without a fight. The Gryphons went on a 12-2 run, capped off by a layup from freshman guard Omar Jamaleddine to give Sarah Lawrence its first lead since the opening minutes of the game.

With less than five minutes remaining, the game was tied 80-80. Junior forward Gabriel Leifer found Turell, who knocked down a shot from 3-point range to give the Macs an 83-80 advantage. On the next possession, senior guard Austin Jones drew a foul from beyond the arc and was awarded three free throws. He converted all his shots from the charity stripe to tie the game, 83-83.

The Gryphons took the lead, 87-85, with 1:31 to go. On the next possession, Halpert took a feed from Turell and buried a 3-pointer to put the Macs in front, 88-87. Jones drew a foul on the next possession and hit one of two free throws to even the game at 88, with less than a minute remaining. Yeshiva turned the ball over on the next possession and Sarah Lawrence had a chance to win it, with 30 seconds left.

After draining the clock, Varoli drilled the go-ahead 3-point field goal with 2.7 seconds remaining. Yeshiva had one more chance, but a shot by Turell from half court bounced off the front rim, and Sarah Lawrence went on to earn the win.

For the game, Leifer produced a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while dishing out seven assists, blocking five shots, and forcing three steals. Halpert and Turell each scored 21 points and distributed four assists, with the latter bring down four caroms. Tzion scored 15 points, shooting 6-for-10 from the field, and clutched five boards. Katz produced five points with six rebounds and three assists, while sophomore guard Eitan Halpert added four rebounds of his own. Junior forward Kevin Bokor forced a steal.

Prior to the game, Yeshiva University unveiled the banners of its three Skyline Conference championship teams from the 2017-18 season (women's tennis, men's basketball, and men's tennis). There was also a moment of silence to remember the victims who lost their lives at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

Yeshiva will return to the Max Stern Athletic Center, on Sunday, for a non-conference showdown against nationally-ranked No. 8 Williams College. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.