Box Score
The Guelph Gryphons men's basketball team dropped the second round of their double-header to the Lakehead Thunderwolves tonight (Feb. 2) 79-66.  The loss puts the Gryphons at a 5-12 record and keeps the Thunderwolves in second in the West at 12-5.
 
Ahmed Haroon (Mississauga, ON) led the Gryphons tonight with 19 points.  Dan McCarthy (Guelph, ON) chipped in with 17. 
 
Lakehead was led by Ryan Thompson (Oakville, ON) who led all scorers for the second consecutive night with 22 points. He was followed by Yoosrie Salhia (Toronto, ON) who mounted the only double-double of the night with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
  With a strong attack from the arc by the Thunderwolves, the Gryphons found themselves behind early in the first.  In an effort to win control of the court, Michel Clark (Burlington, ON) responded with his own three to sway the tides of momentum. However, Ryan Thompson continued to storm the board to remain perfect on three attempts from three to build a 25-13 lead at the end of ten.
 
Thompson opened the second frame in similar fashion for his fourth three to carry Lakehead's momentum into the second.  Dan McCarthy and Trevor Thompson (Burlington, ON) combined on consecutive threes to bring the game within reach. However, Lakehead continued to feed the ball to the arc to push up the scoreboard to create a13-point lead as the half wound down at 43-30.
 
The Gryphons began to match the Thunderwolves' intensity but were unable to climb out of the double digit deficit until the 1:12 mark as Jack Beatty (Woodstock, ON) cut the lead to seven after nailing his first from beyond the arc. The Gryphons carried their newfound momentum through the end of the quarter to outshoot the Thunderwolves for the first time of the night 20-16 to enter the final frame down only 59-50.
 
Guelph continued to match Lakehead's pace to keep the game within nine throughout the opening stage of the fourth until Thompson drove the net for two to regain an 11-point lead.  However, with five fouls in the final three minutes of play, the Gryphons were sent into the bonus to give them an opportunity to dig into the 75-60 lead. Unfortunately the Lakehead defence picked their defensive play up and shut the Gryphon comeback down to seal the night with a 79-66 win.
 
The Thunderwolves out-rebounded the Gryphons 33-16 on the night and were 49.2 percent from the field including 9-for-19 from three point range.  The Gryphons shot 47.3 percent from the field, and 5-of-18 from three point range.
 
The Gryphons look to regain momentum as they travel to McMaster to take on the Marauders this Wednesday (Feb. 6).  Tip-off is set for 8:00 pm.