GUELPH, Ont. – On Saturday afternoon (Jan. 21) at the Gryphon Athletic Centre the University of Guelph Gryphons men's basketball team picked up their 5^th win of the season and second win in as many days against the Waterloo Warriors in a 64-63 nail-biter. The Gryphons came into Saturday's game coming off their best win of the season on Friday night (Jan. 20) when they took down the Warriors 94-50.
 
A month away from the OUA Playoffs the Gryphons were looking to kick start a late season playoff push with a second win against the winless Waterloo Warriors. The first quarter saw the Gryphons build a four-point lead after 10 minutes despite being out-shot by the Warriors 43% to 35%. Rasheed Weekes was the Gryphon to kickstart the Gryphon effort, scoring eight of his game-high 21 points in the opening frame. The Mississauga native completed the double-double with 12 rebounds which included 7 offensive boards. Following the opening 10 minutes the Gryphons led the visiting Warriors 18-14.
 
The second quarter proved to be the only quarter where the Warriors out-scored the Gryphons, winning the second frame 19-12 and taking a three-point lead at halftime. The Gryphons second quarter performance was due to their struggles from the field, shooting just 24% and scoring 4 baskets on 17 attempts. The third quarter saw a very different Gryphon team emerge from the locker room. The Gryphons shot 43% from the field which included 44% from beyond the arc. After 30 minutes the Gryphons held a 1-point left going into the fourth quarter.
 
The final 10-minutes proved to be a chaotic and hard-fought ending to the game from both teams. The game would come down to the final seconds after the Gryphons and Warriors spent over nine minutes trading baskets to make it a tie game at 61-61 with 43 seconds remaining. After a missed Gryphon shot the Warriors would take a 63-61 lead at the 15 second mark. Guelph would call a timeout and following it up with a Rasheed Weekes layup in close where he would also force a foul and receive an and-one opportunity to take the lead. A good free throw would force the Warriors to take a timeout down 64-63 with 7 seconds left. A missed shot and a hard-fought rebound for Dezayne Mingo would seal the win for the Gryphons.
 
In addition to another standout performance from Weekes, rookie Dezayne Mingo would score 15-plus for the second night in a row, this time accounting for 16 Gryphon points while adding 8 rebounds and a block. 4^th-year guard/forward Emmanuel Ansah would also add another strong performance to his 2022-23 campaign with a 4-point, 6 rebound, 4 assist performance.
 
The Gryphons (5-9) will look to make it three wins in a row on Wednesday when they host the Laurentian Voyageurs. Tip-off is set for 8pm following the women's game against the Voyageurs with tickets available at gryphons.ca/tickets. Fans unable to attend can watch the game live, online at www.oua.tv.