GUELPH – The Guelph Gryphons men's basketball team can exhale. The Gryphons finally got a taste of home after a brutal four-game road trip to start the season – and they made the most of it. Guelph defeated the York Lions 87-72 to grab its first win of the season in front of a big crowd on Jam the Gym Night at the Gryphons Athletics Centre.
 
Fifth-year guard Drew Walford led all scorers with 22 points and was a catalyst at both ends of the floor. The Etobicoke, ON got key baskets and defensive stops whenever Guelph needed to fend off the Lions, who hung around for much of the game with timely runs.

"It was huge for us," said head coach Chris O'Rourke, who felt the team was in position to win games at McMaster and Windsor but were unable to put in complete efforts. "We needed to be hungrier and more determined. Our backs were to the wall.
 
"The defensive intensity right from the jump was good. We set the tone."
 
O'Rourke said that Walford played well in the team's loss to Ottawa last weekend. And it carried over. A sequence late in the fourth quarter summed up Walford's night. He produced a steal with a great defensive effort, tipped the ball to a teammate, and ran the length of the court, getting the ball back to finish with a layup that put the hosts up 79-66 with 2:16 left. Walford went 8-for-13 from the floor, adding 9 rebounds, and 4 assists.
 
"He played like a veteran tonight," the coach said.
 
Guelph's experienced backcourt showed up for the home opener. Daniel Dooley scored 16 points, including a perfect 5-for-5 night from the free-throw line, while Taylor Boers chipped in 12 points, all of them coming from four three-pointers.
 
Andrew Grant led all players with 10 rebounds. Banky Alade had 11 points and 7 boards.
 
The Gryphons came out of halftime looking to pass first and the offence thrived. While York continued to miss shots, Guelph's guards were finding the open man, either on backdoor cuts or outside the arc. The hosts were sharp throughout the third quarter and when Boers nailed another three-pointer, followed by a long Dooley field goal, the Gryphons built a 58-40 lead. An Aldade jumper stretched the lead to 20 but York, as they did at points in the first two quarters, stayed relatively close with a 7-0 run.
 
"At the half, we talked about moving the ball better," O'Rourke said of the unselfish play that helped Guelph pull away. "We took control of the game. Iso(lation) ball hurt us so we did a better job of passing the ball."

 

York was within 11 nearing the midway point of the fourth but Dooley knocked down a three and was fouled, completing a big four-point play that stretched the lead back to 67-52.
 
Guelph started with lots energy and immediately had the crowd up with some strong takes to the basket. The hosts built a quick 11-4 lead, highlighted by three dunks (two from Walford and another from Shawn Carey) and a Boers three from the right sideline. York worked its way back into the game but the Gryphons finished a solid first quarter up 20-15.
 
Guelph rode a combination of good defending and some poor York shooting (28 of 81 for 34.6 per cent on the night) to build a double-digit lead midway through the second quarter. Boers made one of his threes with 5:25 remaining, and moments later, Tommy Yanchus (7 points, 6 rebounds) drilled another triple from the right wing to extend the Gryphons' lead to 34-23. The Lions chipped away again and Prince Kamunga's jumper just before the buzzer would send York into the half trailing 38-33.
 
Guelph shot the ball well from all over the floor, hitting 29 of 63 from the field, including 6 of 19 from long range. The Gryphons got back to hitting free throws, a problem on opening night, making 23 of 30 attempts from the line (76.7 per cent).
 
"We have to be a balanced team, scoring inside and out," O'Rourke said.
 
Jonathan Wallace returned to the Guelph lineup after missing the four-game road trip with a foot injury. He scored four points and added 5 rebounds.
 
The Gryphons are off for a week before returning to action Wednesday, Nov. 15 when they host the Ryerson Rams.