Box Score
MEN'S BASKETBALL – Golden Hawks Claw Past Gryphon's 97-91

GUELPH, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons men's basketball team dropped a close 97-91 final tonight to the CIS No. 6 Laurier Golden Hawks at the W.F. Mitchell Athletic Centre. The Gryphons record drops to 7-6 while the Golden Hawks move to 11-2 and sit atop the OUA West.

Daniel McCarthy (Guelph, Ont.) once again led the Gryphon's in scoring with 23 points, but his night was cut short when he fouled out with just under a minute to go in a 90-89 game. With McCarthy sidelined, the Gryphon's could do little offensively or defensively, and saw their chances of upsetting the Hawks sidelined as well. Adam Bering (Tecumseh, Ont.) had a big game manning the middle, going for 20 points and eight rebounds, while Kareem Malcolm (Brampton, Ont.) added 19 points and five offensive rebounds, eight in total.
  Laurier's offence is usually centered around leading scorer Kale Harrison. Tonight Max Allin reminded was the team's star pacing the Golden Hawks with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists to lead his team.  Along with Allin's 27, Laurier was led by Harrison's 15 points, including a big three pointer to put the dagger in the Gryphon's comeback hopes. Kyle Enright added 14 points on 4-7 shooting from three point range, helping Laurier convert 53% of their three-point attempts.

Guelph stormed out of the gate with a 7-0 run to take the early lead, and saw their advantage balloon to 14-3 before Laurier used an 11-2 run to cut the lead to 18-14 with three minutes left in the first quarter. Guelph led 27-20 after one behind Bering's seven points, with three other starters with five points each.

The second quarter saw Laurier take control by taking advantage of their three-point shooting ability, going 4-5 in the second quarter. Allin had 11 in the quarter, including a nice step back three pointer to tie the game at 42. Enright scored all nine of his first half points in the quarter, all from three point range.

McCarthy did his best to keep the Gryphon's within striking distance, knocking down two threes to give him 15 points at the half. Both teams had numerous opportunities to make free-throws, as the referees went shy calling fouls. Laurier held an advantage at the line, hitting 16-18 free-throws, compared to 15-21 from the Gryphons.

Laurier continued to show their dominance from three-point range going 3-4 in the third quarter to push their lead to 77-70 entering the fourth. Michel Clark (Burlington, Ont.) come off the bench to help key the Gryphons' comeback, knocking down two three-pointers to cut into the Hawks lead.

The final quarter saw both teams turn up the defensive pressure, with Harrison taking the scoring load on his shoulders for the Golden Hawks. Harrison scored eight of his 15 points in the fourth, getting to the line early and often where he was 5-6 in the final quarter.

Just as Guelph looked poised to come all the way back from their early deficit, Harrison found himself open for a three to push the Hawks lead to 90-85, and once McCarthy fouled out, the Gryphon's saw their chance at victory slip away.

Guelph will look to get back in the winner's circle when they hit the road to take on the Waterloo Warriors Saturday, January 21^st. Tipoff is scheduled for 3pm. 
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