GUELPH, Ont. - Having already won their first three games of 2020, the Guelph Gryphons went in to Sunday afternoon with the mindset of making that four straight. Hosting the Lakehead Thunderwolves for a Sunday matinee, the Gryphons came out of the gate on fire and carried that momentum the rest of the way for a 79-65 win.

Led by their 3rd-year guard Burke Bechard, the Gryphons established the tempo early on in the contest, while also gaining control of the game.

Right from the opening tip, Bechard was ready to roll. The Dover Centre, ON native tallied 13 points in the opening quarter as her squad raced out to a 28-13 lead over the Thunderwolves after ten minutes of play.

Early in the second quarter, Lakehead began to make their push. After seeing the visitors start the quarter on a 7-2 run, MacKeely Shantz dialed up a three point shot to halt the run and get the Gryphons going again. From that point on the two teams would exchange baskets. With the lead getting as big as 13 in the quarter, the Gryphons would ultimately hold a 42-31 lead heading into the half.

As the second half got underway the same theme continued to play out. All throughout the third quarter of play, the Gryphons would not allow the Thunderwolves to pull within ten points, while getting the lead as high as 15. By the end of the third, both teams tallied 19 points in the quarter and the Gryphons again held an 11 point lead but this time heading into the fourth.

Focused on playing a clean final ten minutes, while also making sure to secure a fourth straight win, the home team did exactly that. Although at one point Lakehead was able to trim the deficit to single digits and get it as low as eight points, the Gryphons had a response. After Shantz knocked down a jumper to get the lead back to ten, her and Bechard then connected on back-to-back three pointers to give Guelph plenty of breathing room. For the rest of the game, each team would go on to tack on four more points as the Gryphons secured a Sunday victory.

Leading the way for Guelph, Bechard tallied 22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 5 assists. Skyla Minaker had a team high in the assists category with 9, while also tallying 7 boards to tie with Bechard.

Going for a fifth straight win the Gryphons will now head to London on Wednesday to take on the Western Mustangs. Guelph will return home on Saturday when they host the Windsor Lancers.