Gryphon hoops men slip by Lakehead in playoff opener
THUNDER BAY – The Guelph Gryphons didn’t want a repeat of their OUA men’s basketball regular season opener in their playoff opener Wednesday.
The Gryphs had travelled to Thunder Bay for a single game against the Lakehead Thunderwolves to open their season Nov. 4. They dropped that match 91-77.
Guelph Gryphons 67 Lakehead Thunderwolves 64
Wednesday, the Gryphs tightened up their defence and came away with a 67-64 win over Lakehead in a first-round playoff match.
The Gryphs had finished the regular season at 11-11 and were the 11th seed of the 12 teams that qualified for the playoffs. Lakehead had finished 16-6 and were sixth seed.
Guelph jumped ahead early in the match and led by as much as 14 points in the second quarter before withstanding a low-scoring final quarter to claim the win.
That fourth quarter saw the teams combine for a total of 13 points, less than the single-team output of either squad in any of the first three quarters.
The Gryphs led 23-17 at the end of the first quarter, 45-41 at halftime and 60-58 at the end of the third quarter.
You can come up with your own word for the shooting in the fourth quarter by both teams. The Gryphs sank three of 17 field-goal attempts while the Thunderwolves sank two of 19. Neither team hit from three-point range as the Guelph missed five and Lakehead missed twice as many. And both teams were 50 percent on free throws, the Gryphs making one of two and the Thunderwolves making two of four.
Dezayne Mingo led the Gryphs with 21 points in the game while Keenan Dowell and Emmanuel Ansah each had 11. Mingo and Ansah each hauled down 11 rebounds while Ansah also had seven assists and Dowell had two blocks. Dowell, Ansah and Dylan McFee each had a steal.
Laoui Msambya had 19 points for Lakehead while Nathan Bilamu and Michael Okafor collected 12 apiece. Msambya also had nine rebounds, six assists and two steals while Bilamu, Okafor and Dylan Morrison each had a block.
For the game, the Gryphs shot 46 percent on field goals, 29 percent on three-pointers and 40 percent on free throws and also collected 26 points in the paint, five off turnovers, four on second chances and 14 from their bench.
Lakehead shot 34 percent on field goals, 18 percent on three-pointers and 67 percent on free throws. The Thunderwolves also had 28 points in the paint, 11 off turnovers, 10 on second chances and six from their bench.
As the playoffs are a bracket format, the Gryphs advance to play the Windsor Lancers in Saturday’s quarter-finals at Windsor. The Lancers finished atop the West Division at 16-6.
There shouldn’t be any surprises for either team Saturday as it’ll be the third consecutive Saturday the Gryphs and Lancers will have battled each other this month. Windsor won 107-91 at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre Feb. 11 while the Gryphs won 74-73 to close out their regular season last Saturday.
Game time this Saturday at Windsor’s Toldo Lancer Centre is 4 p.m.
- Guelph Sports Journal
Gryphon hoops men slip by Lakehead in playoff opener
THUNDER BAY – The Guelph Gryphons didn’t want a repeat of their OUA men’s basketball regular season opener in their playoff opener Wednesday.
The Gryphs had travelled to Thunder Bay for a single game against the Lakehead Thunderwolves to open their season Nov. 4. They dropped that match 91-77.
Guelph Gryphons 67
Lakehead Thunderwolves 64
Wednesday, the Gryphs tightened up their defence and came away with a 67-64 win over Lakehead in a first-round playoff match.
The Gryphs had finished the regular season at 11-11 and were the 11th seed of the 12 teams that qualified for the playoffs. Lakehead had finished 16-6 and were sixth seed.
Guelph jumped ahead early in the match and led by as much as 14 points in the second quarter before withstanding a low-scoring final quarter to claim the win.
That fourth quarter saw the teams combine for a total of 13 points, less than the single-team output of either squad in any of the first three quarters.
The Gryphs led 23-17 at the end of the first quarter, 45-41 at halftime and 60-58 at the end of the third quarter.
You can come up with your own word for the shooting in the fourth quarter by both teams. The Gryphs sank three of 17 field-goal attempts while the Thunderwolves sank two of 19. Neither team hit from three-point range as the Guelph missed five and Lakehead missed twice as many. And both teams were 50 percent on free throws, the Gryphs making one of two and the Thunderwolves making two of four.
Dezayne Mingo led the Gryphs with 21 points in the game while Keenan Dowell and Emmanuel Ansah each had 11. Mingo and Ansah each hauled down 11 rebounds while Ansah also had seven assists and Dowell had two blocks. Dowell, Ansah and Dylan McFee each had a steal.
Laoui Msambya had 19 points for Lakehead while Nathan Bilamu and Michael Okafor collected 12 apiece. Msambya also had nine rebounds, six assists and two steals while Bilamu, Okafor and Dylan Morrison each had a block.
For the game, the Gryphs shot 46 percent on field goals, 29 percent on three-pointers and 40 percent on free throws and also collected 26 points in the paint, five off turnovers, four on second chances and 14 from their bench.
Lakehead shot 34 percent on field goals, 18 percent on three-pointers and 67 percent on free throws. The Thunderwolves also had 28 points in the paint, 11 off turnovers, 10 on second chances and six from their bench.
As the playoffs are a bracket format, the Gryphs advance to play the Windsor Lancers in Saturday’s quarter-finals at Windsor. The Lancers finished atop the West Division at 16-6.
There shouldn’t be any surprises for either team Saturday as it’ll be the third consecutive Saturday the Gryphs and Lancers will have battled each other this month. Windsor won 107-91 at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre Feb. 11 while the Gryphs won 74-73 to close out their regular season last Saturday.
Game time this Saturday at Windsor’s Toldo Lancer Centre is 4 p.m.
- Guelph Sports Journal