GUELPH, ON - With a new year comes a clean slate. And the Guelph Gryphons men's basketball team was in definite need of a reboot after winning just two of its first seven OUA games in 2015. They started out the 2016 portion of their schedule with a strong statement, riding some sharp shooting from beyond the arc to an 81-68 victory over the No. 8-ranked team in the country in the Western Mustangs on Saturday night at the W.F. Mitchell Centre.

Guelph (3-5) made 11 of 26 three-pointers to overcome a brutal start. Ahmed Haroon led the way with team highs of 26 points and 6 rebounds, while Jonathan Wallace contributed many timely baskets, either continuing Guelph runs or stopping Western momentum to finish with 20. Guards Jack Beatty and Daniel Dooley chipped in 18 and 13 points respectively.

Guelph started the second half with much more conviction than the first and built a double-digit lead at 54-38 thanks mostly to Haroon's hot hand. The fourth-year forward from Mississauga, ON nailed a three then added two buckets from inside and a pair of free throws. Wallace started driving to the basket and Guelph began to pull away in the last two quarters, looking far more composed, better defensively and hungry to close the game.

The main problem for the Gryphons was Greg Morrow. The forward dominated on the offensive end and had a game-high 28 points for Western (3-5). Morrow made an array of shots all game but didn't have much support from his Mustang teammates.

Guelph's defensive effort in the first half was troublesome for coach Chris O'Rourke, who voiced his displeasure. Western crafted a lead with a variety of easy baskets thanks to multiple breakdowns by the Gryphons. But Guelph managed to knock down 7 of 16 three-point attempts and finished the half strong. Haroon scored inside before Wallace stole the Western inbounds pass and added a layup. Dooley then hit a huge three and added a bucket at the buzzer to send the Gryphons into halftime with a surprising 33-30 lead.

Much like the second half, Haroon spurred Guelph to a 6-0 lead on back-to-back threes but the defence pretty much fell sleep as Western went backdoor at will during a 16-2 run. Beatty finally stopped the Mustangs surge with a deep three late in the quarter, getting the Gryphons to within five. But Western guard Eric McDonald made an acrobatic layup at the buzzer to give the visitors an 18-11 lead after the first quarter.

Guelph then proceeded to win every quarter, out scoring the Mustangs 70-50 the rest of the way. The Gryphons shot a healthy 57.7 per cent (15-for-26) from the floor in the second half.

Notes:  Western was 0-for-8 from long range in the first half and ended up hitting just 1 of 13 attempts from beyond the arc...Guelph was not awarded a free throw in the opening 20 minutes but finished 7-for-13 from the line...Western's Alex Coote led all rebounders with 10...The Gryphons host Windsor next Friday, January 15...