HAMILTON, Ont. – Over the past several years, efficiency at the free throw line has not been a concern for the Gryphons men's basketball team. In fact, it has been a strength. A season ago, the Gryphons led the entire OUA with 283 made free throws. But on Wednesday night in Hamilton in the 2017-18 OUA regular season opener, the Gryphons went an uncharacteristic 7-of-18 (38.9%) from the charity stripe in an 84-79 loss to the McMaster Marauders. The forgettable night at the free throw line dampened an otherwise impressive performance by the Gryphons, which included an explosive 28-point 2nd quarter.
 
"A lot of our struggles tonight were self-inflicted," said Gryphons head coach Chris O'Rourke after the game. "I thought the game got a bit too up-and-down for us at times and we had a few breakdowns on the glass. And of course, it's tough to win tight games when you miss free throws." The Gryphons missed six straight free throws during a stretch in the 4th and were just 2-of-12 from the line in that final quarter.
 
Despite the disappointing night at the line, the Gryphons had plenty of positives to take away from their season opener. Fifth year guard Daniel Dooley finished with a team-high

17 points and was deadly from beyond, finishing the night 5-of-6 from 3-point range. The Gryphons also received some big performances off the bench, led by third year man Aaron Nugent who poured in 13 points and 8 rebounds. Second year forward Shawn Carey also provided a spark off the bench, highlighted by an emphatic two-handed putback dunk in the 3rd quarter. Sophomore guard Banky Alade also had an impressive night, finishing with 14 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks.
 
Helping lead the way defensively for U of G was Gryphons fifth year guard Andrew Grant who was charged with the tall task of containing McMaster's talented scoring guard Miles Seward. Seward, an NCAA transfer from Northern Colorado, led the way for the Marauders with 23 points on the night, 11 of which came in the 3rd quarter.
 
With 2:40 remaining in the final quarter, the Gryphons would trim the lead to three on a three-pointer from Dooley that made it a 75-72 game. That is as close as the Gryphs would get however, as McMaster's Kwasi Adu-Poku would haul down an offensive rebound and push the Marauders' lead back to five.
 
Saturday's game in Hamilton marked the first of four straight road games for the Gryphons to start the season. Next up, a trip to Windsor to face the Lancers on Saturday night. That game is set to tip at 8pm and can be seen live online at oua.tv.