GUELPH, Ont. - It was a big task in front of them Sunday afternoon at the GGAC, and despite the Guelph Gryphons best efforts, they weren't quite able to stump the undefeated and U SPORTS top-ranked Carleton Ravens. Although they were able to hang with the Ravens, the Gryphons were unable to break through against Carleton in a 94-81 loss.
All through the 40-minute contest, the Gryphons went toe-to-toe with the Ravens in most of the major stat categories. The Gryphons managed to shoot a higher percentage from the field and hit more threes than the Ravens, but Guelph's downfall was Carleton's rebounding ability leading to second chance points.
As soon as the game got underway the Gryphons came out with a high intensity and it got them off to a strong start. For the first-half of the opening quarter, Guelph was able to go punch for punch with the Ravens while holding a slim 10-9 advantage. However, as the quarter played on Carleton began to show why their ranked the top team in Canada. Using different runs, the Ravens took a 21-14 lead after the 1st.
During the 2nd-quarter, the Ravens did what they could to try and pull away from Guelph but the home side would not allow the score to get terribly lopsided. Keeping to deficit close to ten points the Gryphons were able to stay within striking distance. Trailing by 12 late in the 2nd, Trevor Hutton pulled up for a long three and drained it right as the buzzer sounded. However, the refs waved off the basket as Hutton's release was just a hair too late. Although the shot would have meant Guelph only trailed by nine at the half, they still only found themselves down 12 at the break.
Once the 3rd-quarter got started it looked as if the Ravens may start to pull away. With Carleton's lead getting as high as 18 points in the frame, the Gryphons still managed to battle back and prevent the run-away game. Trimming the deficit to 14 before the 3rd ended, Guelph was able to put themselves in a spot to try and come up with a final quarter comeback.
Despite the Gryphons being able to out-score the Ravens in the last quarter, it wound up not quite being enough as Carleton came away with the 94-81 win.
Malcolm Glanville led all scorers with 22 points for the Gryphons. Rasheed Weekes also had a strong game on offence for Guelph recording 19 points, while Keenan Dowell finished the contest with 13 points.
The Gryphons will now prepare for a Wednesday night contest when they hit the road to take on the Laurier Golden Hawks. Game time is scheduled for 8:00pm from Waterloo.
