Lakehead edges Gryphon hoops men by a pair of points

THUNDER BAY – The Guelph Gryphons surrendered the lead in the final minute of a hard-fought OUA men’s basketball match Saturday night as they were edged 71-69 by the Lakehead Thunderwolves at Lakehead’s C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse.

A three-pointer by Khalid Ismail with 52 seconds to go put the Gryphs ahead by a point, but Lakehead’s Laoui Msambya dropped a layup in 25 seconds later to retake the lead for the hosts. He also sank a free throw with seven seconds to go, although Guelph’s Malcolm Glanville missed a pair of desperation shots, one a three-pointer, after that.

Lakehead 71 Guelph Gryphons 69

While the Gryphs have suffered seven losses in league play this season, three of them by two points.

The weekend sweep by Lakehead hurts the playoff chances for the Gryphs. Top six in the West Division qualify for the playoffs and the top six currently have winning percentages of .500 or better. The Gryphs are eighth with a .125 winning percentage.

Saturday, Lakehead led 21-20 at the end of the first quarter and 37-35 at halftime before the Gryphs rallied for a 54-50 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Gryphs hit 39 percent of their field goals, 28 percent on three-pointers and 53 percent on free throws. They also had 32 points in the paint, 18 off turnovers and four from their bench. Guelph also grabbed 34 rebounds and had a block and 16 steals.

The Thunderwolves hit 47 percent of their field goals, 35 percent on three-pointers and 38 percent on free throws. They also had 42 points in the paint, 31 off turnovers and 29 from their bench and they grabbed 28 rebounds, had five blocks and 12 steals.

Carl Veltmann hit for 17 points and had eight rebounds while Glanville had 15 points, seven assists and five steals. Ismail and Keenan Dowell each had 14 points while Ismail also had four assists and Dowell also had six rebounds and three steals.

Nathan Bilamu came off the bench to lead Lakehead with 21 points and nine rebounds while Eric Gonzalez had 18 points and four steals and Michael Okafor had 11 points, Msambya had nine points and five assists and Dylan Morrison pulled down seven rebounds and rejected four shots.

The Gryphs have almost two weeks to prepare for a pair of home games against the Algoma Thunderbirds. They’re to host those games Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 26 at 3 p.m. at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre.

Standings

• Guelph Sports Journal