GUELPH, ON - The Guelph Gryphons men's basketball team is fighting to stay in the OUA playoff picture. But they suffered a setback in an emotional game at home against the Central Division leaders from St. Catharines. Guelph had a forgettable fourth quarter and fell to the Brock Badgers 89-62 at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre on Saturday night.
The Gryphons (4-10) can score with some of the best teams in the league. The problem against the talented Badgers, who rode star forward Daniel Elgadi (20 points), was too many defensive breakdowns. And the big Brock lineup punished Guelph for the lapses with superior ball movement, hot shooting and tough play in the paint.
"Against the good teams, the better teams in the conference, you've got to play a 40-minute game and we have not done that consistently," said coach Chris O'Rourke. "We haven't got it at both ends of the floor."
Fourth-year guard Jonathan Wallace led all Guelph scorers with 16 points. Ahmed Haroon and Tommy Yanchus added 10 points each.
Brock's Cassidy Ryan had 19 points, while Daniel Cayer scored 14 points for the Badgers.
Guelph was in the game well into the third quarter before it slipped away. The Gryphons had a good start to the second half when Haroon drained a three from the top of the arc. Egaldi and Wallace took over for their respective teams and kept exchanging baskets. Wallace followed up Haroon's make with a coast-to-coast layup to cut the Brock lead to 41-36. But Egaldi answered immediately with a three-point play. Wallace hit another Guelph shot from long range only for Egaldi to score again at the other end.
The Brock forward poured in 13 points in the third quarter.
"When you don't put the ball in the basket and answer, it just puts that much more pressure on your D," the coach said. "They're obviously a good team and they took advantage of us in the paint. We knew that was one of their strengths. It's been an Achilles heel of ours all year."
Guelph led 17-15 after the first quarter but Brock erupted for 24 points in the second. Egaldi got loose in the paint for a dunk to put Brock up 37-28 late in the second but a Wallace three-pointer from the top of the arc cut into the lead. The Badgers led 39-31 at the half.
The Gryphons hit the road for Nipissing and Laurentian next week in need of wins to keep the playoff hope alive.
"We're in that grind, in that rut," said O'Rourke. "We just have to keep working hard. That's the only way we're going to get out of it. We've got the road next weekend and then two at home. These are huge games for us. The RPI, we're 10th (heading into Saturday). I don't know where we'll be after tonight.
"We just have to keep grinding and make our own breaks."
