Box Score
MEN'S BASKETBALL - Gryphon's Final Shot Falls Short, Drop Home Opener 68-66

GUELPH, Ont. - Kareem Malcolm (Brampton, Ont.) had hit a clutch three pointer just 15 seconds prior to bring the Gryphon's within one point, but his final heave fell just short, leaving Guelph with a tough 68-66 home opening loss to the visiting Ryerson Rams Friday night.

Daniel McCarthy(Guelph, Ont.) led all scorers with 28 points before fouling out with under a minute to play, while Malcolm added 17 to go with a handful of assists.

Ryerson was led by Ola Adegboruwa, who netted 17 points off the bench. Adegboruwa was the difference in the game, keeping the Gryphon's on their heels throughout the game and pacing the Rams offence. Jahmal Jones, entering the game as the CIS #2 scorer, was held to just 10 points as the Gryphon's focused on containing the skilled playmaker. Jordon Gauthier and Luke Staniscia added 14 and 12 points respectively.

The Rams stormed out of the gate to begin the game, outscoring the Gryphon's 12-2 in the early parts of the first quarter by attacking the basket and hustling after loose balls. Guelph was able to get back into the game with back-to-back three's from Michel Clark (Burlington, Ont.) and Malcolm to cut the lead to 14-8. Ryerson led 18-8 after the first.

In the second, Ryerson was able to extend their lead to 26-10, and appeared to be on their way to a blowout thanks to solid ball movement leading to uncontested layups. Guelph guard Zachary Angus (Burlington, Ont.) followed up a layup with a big three pointer to bring the Gryphon's with eight points, and McCarthy's three in the final minute trimmed the Rams lead to 34-28 entering halftime. McCarthy led all scorers at the half with 13 points, while Adegboruwa paced the Rams with 10.

After the half, Guelph turned up the defensive pressure by switching to a 2-3 zone defence, forcing the Rams to beat them from the outside. The switched paid off for the Gryphon's, as they were able to slow the tempo of the Rams offence and force turnovers. On the night, the Rams committed 17 turnovers, compared to 11 by Guelph. McCarthy's three pointer in the final minute cut the Rams lead to 45-42, and after an offensive foul by the Rams, Malcolm hit his second three pointer to tie the game as the shot clock expired. The Gryphon's took a 47-45 lead into the final quarter.

Both teams traded baskets to open the quarter, with neither team leading by more than five throughout the fourth. After a Malcolm jumper put the Gryphon's ahead by three, Jones answered right back with a three to tie the game at 56 apiece. The Rams extended their lead to four before Aron Campbell's three from the corner closed the deficit to 60-59. The Rams sealed the game with a steal leading to a dunk by Staniscia to give the Rams a 65-60 lead.

The Gryphon's will look to get back in the win column when they host the Toronto Varsity Blues Saturday night at the W.F. Mitchell Centre. Tipoff is scheduled for 8pm.