SAULT STE MARIE, Ont. – It's a logjam in the middle of the OUA West men's basketball standings. So it wasn't a good time for Guelph Gryphons to go cold offensively. Guelph couldn't build on an impressive first quarter and lost 77-63 to the Algoma Thunderbirds in the first of two weekend matchups at the George Leach Centre in Sault Ste Marie.
 
First-year Gryphon Malcolm Glanville had a team-high 23 points (8 of 16 from the floor) and 6 rebounds, while Banky Alade posted another double-double with 15 points and a game-high 13 boards.
 
Algoma was a new team coming out of the halftime break, using their length to cause problems for the Gryphons. After being down four points at half, the Thunderbirds outscored Guelph 23-12 in the third quarter and went into the fourth quarter up seven at 56-49. And they continued to extend the margin throughout the final quarter as the Gryphons were sloppy with the ball and unable to find any consistent offence.
 
Despite the efforts of Glanville and Alade, Guelph scored just 26 points in the second half of the game and finished the night shooting 35.6 per cent from the floor (26 makes on 73 attempts).
 
The second-half letdown was surprising seeing as Guelph came flying out of the gate. The visitors started the game with a quick 7-0 run and continued to look confident building a 27-11 lead, suggesting a potential blowout was in the making. But Algoma chipped away and after Glanville sunk a pair of free throws on the last play of the second quarter, the visitors were up just 37-33 going into the half.
 
Algoma did an excellent job protecting the ball, committing only four turnovers all game. And the hosts capitalized when Guelph coughed it up, scoring 19 points off 15 turnovers, compared to just two points for the Gryphons. 
 
Gryphon Take
"We set the tone in the first quarter but allowed them to get physical with us, take control and close the gap. It disrupted us offensively and our ball movement became stagnant. We will bounce back tomorrow." – head coach Chris O'Rourke
 
The Record
Guelph is 7-12
 
Next up
@ Algoma, Saturday, Feb. 2, 8 pm