GUELPH, Ont. – Wednesday night in the 2018-19 OUA men's basketball regular season opener, the new-look Guelph Gryphons showed that they have the talent to go toe-to-toe with one of the best in the OUA's West Division in the Western Mustangs. Guelph took a four-point lead into the final quarter but were outscored 32-18 in the final frame as the Mustangs left the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre with an 87-77 victory.
Malcolm Glanville impressed in his Gryphon debut
Gryphons' fourth-year guard
Tommy Yanchus scored a team-high 22 points (5-of-7 from 3-point range) while NCAA transfer
Malcolm Glanville added 17 points and 5 rebounds in his U of G debut.
Sophomore forward
Rasheed Weekes was solid off the bench, adding 8 points (4-6 shooting) and a team-high 12 rebounds while third-year forward
Banky Alade chipped in with 11 points and 4 rebounds.
Wednesday night's game also marked the Gryphons' annual "Shoot for the Cure" game in support of breast cancer awareness. Several players from the Gryphons women's basketball team took part in a hair-cutting at halftime in support.
Turning point
Western's Jedson Tavernier and Omar Shiddo knocked down back-to-back three's in the fourth quarter, turning a one-point Western deficit (64-63 Guelph) into a five-point lead for the visitors. Those triples would spark a 19-4 run for the Mustangs.
Gryphon Take
" We were able to build up a lead in the seven-to-nine point range there in the 3rd quarter, but made some mental mistakes which let them get back into it. We needed to show more of a killer instinct to be able to push that into double digits. On top of that, we didn't shoot well from the line (11-of-19) and need to do a better job taking care of the ball (25 turnovers)." –
head coach Chris O'Rourke
The Record
Guelph is 0-1
Next up
@ Brock - Saturday, Oct. 27 (8pm)
