TORONTO, Ont. – After ending the regular season with three straight wins to earn a spot in the OUA playoffs for a second consecutive season, the Guelph Gryphons men's basketball team officially saw their 2019-20 campaign come to an end on Wednesday night (Feb. 19) in Toronto. The Gryphons suffered a 109-63 loss to the Ryerson Rams in the opening round of the 2020 OUA men's basketball playoffs. The No. 6-nationally ranked Rams jumped out to a 17-point lead after the first quarter and extended their lead to 29 heading into the half against a undermanned Gryphon squad. With the result, Ryerson advances to the OUA quarter-finals and will travel to Ottawa for a Saturday night (Feb. 22) matchup with the Ottawa Gee-Gees.
After posting a 10-12 record during the regular season, Guelph entered the postseason as the No. 12-seed in the OUA's
new 12-team playoff format. Facing a talented Ryerson squad (16-6 record during the regular season, No. 5-seed in OUA playoffs, No. 6-ranked team nationally), the Gryphons were forced to take the court in Toronto without the services of their leading scorer.
Malcolm Glanville, a third-year guard from Toronto who led the Gryphons in scoring this season averaging 16.2 points per game, was unavailable Wednesday night while serving a one-game suspension. During Guelph's regular season finale this past weekend in Sault Ste. Marie, Glanville picked up his fifth technical foul of the 2019-20 season. OUA rules state that a player must serve a mandatory one-game suspension after accumulating a fifth technical foul on the season. The shorthanded Gryphs also remained without the services of their top three-point threat in
Tommy Yanchus after the fifth-year guard suffered a season-ending knee injury back on January 15 in a win over Laurier.
One healthy body who the Gryphons were more than happy to welcome back to their lineup in recent weeks was 6-foot-6 forward
Banky Alade. The fourth-year standout from Sherwood Park, Alberta led the entire country in rebounding a season ago (11.1 rebounds per game) but was limited to just four regular season games in 2019-20 due to injury. In those four games, Alade picked up right where he left off, recording double-doubles in three of his four games. On Wednesday night, Banky finished with 12 points and 5 rebounds. Rookie
Viktor Nausedas was the only other Gryphon to score in double figures, finishing with 12 points in his OUA playoff debut. The Gryphons finished the night just 1-for-21 from beyond the arc, compared to Ryerson's 13-24 from three-point range.
Ryerson guard Tevaun Kokko, who tied for second in the OUA in scoring during the regular season with 21.7 points per game, finished the night as the Rams leading scorer with 21 points versus the Gryphons.
Although Guelph's 2019-20 season was one marred by injuries to key players, the Gryphons still showed plenty of character, rallying to reach the double-digit win plateau during the regular season. Guelph's 10-win season, coupled with an 11-win season a year ago, marks the first time in a decade in which the U of G men's basketball program has recorded back-to-back, double-digit win seasons (with the last time coming during the 2007-08-and-2008-09 seasons). The future remains bright for the Gryphons heading into 2020-21, with the team graduating just two players from this year's squad (Tommy Yanchus and Kieran Naus). For more information on the rest of the OUA men's basketball playoff picture, visit oua.ca.
