GUELPH, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons men's basketball team fell to the McMaster Marauders 85-80 in a hard-fought match on Wednesday night (Nov. 30) at the Gryphon Athletic Centre. Coming off back-to-back wins against the Algoma Thunderbirds the Gryphons were looking to pick up their 4^th win of the season and 4^th in a row but fell just short.
 
The game opened with a few quick turnovers from the Gryphons to give the visiting Marauders an early lead. The Gryphons would respond well and, after finding their feet, would finish the first 10 minutes of the game leading McMaster by one point. The second frame would see another tightly contested quarter with the Gryphons able to knock down shots from beyond the arc and the Marauders finding success in the paint. The two teams would head into halftime after neither squad being able to build enough momentum for a significant run and instead trading scores and fouls to head into the locker rooms with just two points separating them.
 
The third quarter saw the Gryphons once again shoot the ball better than the Marauders, with the Gryphons shooting 60% from the field to McMasters 38.5%. Fouls would allow the Marauders to stay in this one, as they would go 5-for-5 from the line to limit the Gryphon lead to just 3 points heading into the final 10 minutes. With the largest lead seen in the fourth frame being 5 points, spectators at the Gryphon Athletic Centre were in for another match coming down to the wire. Unfortunately, the Marauders would keep the lead just long enough to hear the final buzzer sound leading by three points to head home with a win.
 
The Gryphons Wednesday night effort was led by Mississauga native Emmanuel Ansah, with the fourth year guarding accounting for 21 points and 7 rebounds on 50% shooting. Not far behind was guard Khalil Ismail who tallied 18 points on the night. Finally, starters Jalen Mason and Dezayne Mingo also surpassed to 10-point mark, each being responsible for 14 points on the scoreboard.
 
The Gryphons (3-4) will look to bounce back in London on Saturday night (Dec. 3) when they take on the Western Mustangs. For fans unable to attend the match can be seen live, online at www.oua.tv.