THUNDER BAY, Ont. – For the first time in exactly 11 years, the Guelph Gryphons men's basketball team is moving on in the OUA playoffs. Wednesday night (Feb. 22) at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, the Gryphons picked up a memorable 67-64 road playoff win over the OUA's No. 6-seeded, Lakehead Thunderwolves. Leading the way for the Gryphons on the night was the team's standout rookie,
Dezayne Mingo, who stole the spotlight in his OUA playoff debut, finishing the night with a game-high 21 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 5 assists. The win marks Guelph's first postseason victory in just over a decade, with U of G's last playoff win coming during the 2011-12 season (Feb. 22, 2012 at Laurier, when the Gryphons defeated the then No. 10-ranked Golden Hawks 61-58). With their win over Lakehead on Wednesday night, the Gryphons book a spot in the OUA quarterfinals on Saturday (Feb. 25) and will travel to the University of Windsor for a 4pm tip against the OUA's No. 3-seeded Windsor Lancers.
After a sensational finish to their regular season schedule, in which the Gryphons won 8 of their final 10 games to finish the regular season with an 11-11 record, Guelph entered the postseason as the No. 11-seed in the OUA's 12-team playoff bracket. The Lakehead Thunderwolves, who posted a 16-6 record during the regular season, were backed by a sold-out crowd on Wednesday night at the Thunderdome, but the Gryphons were able to silence the capacity crowd, thanks to a lights-out offensive performance in the opening half. The Gryphons shot 65.5% from the field as a team in the opening half (19-of-29 from the field, 4-of-9 from beyond the arc).
Dezayne Mingo, a 21-year-old freshman from Hamilton, Ontario, spearheaded the Gryphon attack early on, scoring 13 of his 21 points in the opening half, two of which came on a highlight reel play in which Mingo split a Lakehead double-team before finishing at the rim with a two-handed dunk. The Gryphons led 23-17 after the 1st quarter, and 45-41 at the half.
In the 3rd quarter, the Gryphon lead would grow to double digits. After a
Dezayne Mingo crossover and pull-up jumper, the Gryphons would get a corner three-pointer from
Dylan McFee, and just like that, the U of G lead was up to 14 with the Gryphons leading 33-19. But the host Thunderwolves would storm back, cutting into the Gryphon lead and making it just a two-point game heading to the final quarter, with Guelph up 60-58 heading to the 4th.
In the final quarter, points would be hard to come by for both teams, as both defences would tighten up with their seasons on the line.
Dezayne Mingo would connect on his 20th and 21st points of the night by hitting a contested step-back jumper as the shot clock expired, putting Guelph up 67-63. The Gryphons would seal the deal late thanks to some outstanding perimeter defending. Lakehead was unable to connect on several outside shots down the stretch, but the Thunderwolves still had a chance to force overtime on the game's final possession. With Guelph clinging to a 67-64 lead, the Thunderwolves would gain possession with just 7.9 seconds remaining in regulation. Needing a three-pointer to force OT, Lakehead would turn to third-year guard Laouai Msambya, but he was blanketed by Gryphons guard
Khalid Ismail. In the end, Msambya's contested shot would sail wide, with the Gryphons grabbing possession as the game clock expired, giving the Gryphons a hard-fought playoff victory. Rookie forward
Emmanuel Ansah finished the night with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists, while senior guard
Keenan Dowell helped extend his U of G career by chipping in with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal.
The Gryphons will now head to the University of Windsor on Saturday afternoon for an OUA quarterfinal matchup with the Lancers. The game on Saturday will mark Guelph's second trip to Windsor in a seven-day span. On Saturday, February 18, the Gryphons closed out their regular season schedule with a road trip to Windsor, a game in which the Gryphons spoiled Windsor's 'senior day' celebrations by earning a 74-73 road win. Saturday's OUA quarterfinal matchup gets underway at 4pm and can be seen live online at
www.oua.tv.
