GUELPH – The Guelph Gryphons men's basketball team wants to finish their OUA season right. The Gryphons cranked it up offensively and also defended well in a 100-86 win over the Waterloo Warriors Wednesday night at the GGAC.
 
The Gryphons showed remarkable consistency on offence, scoring 24, 26, 24, and 26 in each of the game's four quarters, which allowed them to hit the 100-point mark for the first time this OUA regular season.
 
Daniel Dooley led Guelph's balanced attack with 15 points, while Banky Alade was a force inside, dominating the paint en route to 14 points in just 18 minutes of action. Five players had double digits, with three more scoring 9 points. Guelph shot a sizzling 55 per cent from the floor, and were on fire from beyond the arc, sinking 9 of 18 attempts.

Hitting the century mark was part of the plan.

"The guys just came out with a freedom mentally," said head coach Chris O'Rourke. "It was a mental hurdle and I thought we pushed the tempo we wanted and honestly, our goal was to score 100 points. We felt like it was within our capability and the guys just came out and played with that looseness needed and made it happen."

There was a pregame moment of silence for former All-Canadian and Gryphon Hall of Fame member Tom Heslip, who passed away recently. Heslip, who, the nation in scoring in 1980-81 season, was a longtime supporter of the U of G basketball program. 
 
Guelph was certainly good but had to work hard to close the game out. An Alade hoop put Guelph up 74-56 to the end the third quarter. But the hosts initially began the fourth searching for that flowing offence that had been a staple all game. Waterloo seized the opportunity and a Simon Petrov layup completed a 7-0 run that cut the lead to 74-63 with about eight minutes remaining.
 
The Gryphons got the message and found their stroke again. Dooley knocked down a spot-up three-pointer to push the lead back up to 14 and end any hopes of a late Waterloo rally.
 
Guelph was sharp from the opening tip and began the game with a 9-2 run. The Gryphons then outscored Waterloo 8-0 in the final 91 seconds of the quarter, capped by a nice Jake Chaput field goal off the glass, to take a 24-15 lead after the first quarter.
 
Guelph maintained the momentum in the second and played a physical brand of defence to keep the Warriors at bay. Waterloo battled back but a 12-2 run helped the Gryphons build a 50-35 lead at the half.

O'Rourke wants to see that same high level of intensity when Guelph closes out its 2017/18 schedule Saturday, Feb. 17 in a Senior Day matchup against the Western Mustangs. Game time is 3 pm.