LONDON, Ont. – Points usually aren't too hard to come by for the Guelph Gryphons men's basketball team. But the Gryphons' offence went cold on a frigid Saturday night in London. Guelph managed just 33 points in the final three quarters and lost 72-53 to the Western Mustangs at Alumni Hall.
 
The visitors put up 20 in a big first quarter but couldn't find that flow again as Western locked things down defensively and handed the Gryphons a third consecutive loss.
 
Fourth-year Guelph native Tommy Yanchus had a team-high 16 points with 5 rebounds, while Malcolm Glanville, who has been on fire of late with a pair 39-point performances, finished with 11 points and 5 boards before fouling out.
 
The Gryphons made just 18 of 53 attempts from the field (34 per cent) and even had a rough time at the line, making 11 of 20 free throws, a place where they normally excel.
 
It was a strange first half as Guelph was excellent in the opening quarter in building a 20-10 lead but then lagged, allowing Western to take over in the second. The Gryphons started the game on a 10-3 run in a quarter where they made 3 of 6 three-pointers. But the Mustangs turned it around and manufactured a big 12-0 run on a series of drives to the hoop, which put them up 22-20.
 
Guelph was fortunate to be down just 33-29 at the half after committing 12 turnovers and shooting 34.6 per cent from the floor in the first two quarters. Western, led by Omar Shiddo's 19 points, outscored the Gryphons by 15 in the second half to win by a comfortable margin.
 
The Mustangs also scored 26 points off of Guelph's 21 total turnovers.
 
Gryphon Take
"We had a good first quarter but a veteran Western team made their run in the second. We knew they would and unfortunately, we couldn't overcome a variety of obstacles. We will rebound from this and grind out the road games we have ahead of us." – head coach Chris O'Rourke
 
The Record
Guelph is 6-10.
 
Next up
School Day @ Laurier, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 11 am