GUELPH, Ont. – Gryphons guard, Jack Tunstill, helped the Gryphons men's basketball team start 2025 off on a high note, with the Gryphons tipping off the new semester with a thrilling 80-78 victory over the McMaster Marauders on Wednesday night (Jan. 8) at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre. With the game tied at 78-78 in the final seconds, the Gryphons had the ball and a chance to take the lead and turned to their promising young guard, Jack Tunstill. The 21-year-old from St. Thomas, Ontario, currently in his first season as a Gryphon, would get the friendly roll on a fade-away shot with just 3.1 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter to put the Gryphons up 80-78. Tunstill would also come up with a steal on the ensuring inbounds play, helping the Gryphons (3-9) escape with the two-point victory and their third win of the season. McMaster, meanwhile, drop to 1-11 on the season, with yet another close loss added to their record. The Marauders entered Wednesday night's matchup fresh off of having lost three, tightly-contested games against nationally-ranked opponents (Nov. 30 – lost by 1 point to No. 9-ranked Queen's | Nov. 23 lost by 10 to No. 6-ranked Carleton | Nov. 22 lost by 7 to No. 7-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees).
 
Tunstill finished the night with 12 points (5-8 shooting), 7 rebounds and 4 steals. The Gryphons also received some clutch shooting down the stretch from a pair of rookie guards in Amare Hamilton (11 points, 3-of-5 from 3-point) and Isaiah Odle-Clarke (14 points, 3-of-5 from 3-point), with both freshman guards knocking down key three-pointers in the final quarter of play. Third-year forward Eric Armstrong led all Gryphon scorers with a team-high 20 points, with the New Hamburg, Ontario native starting quick, scoring 10 of Guelph's first 12 points on the night. Wednesday night's matchup marked the only head-to-head meeting this season between Guelph (3-9) and McMaster (1-11), with the Gryphons now having won each of the past two season series with the Marauders after also defeating McMaster last January in Hamilton.
 
The Gryphons will now head to the University of Waterloo on Saturday (Jan. 11) for a 6pm matchup with the Waterloo Warriors (5-6) at Carl Totzke Court. The Warriors are currently one of three teams within the OUA West Division tied for top spot in the division with a 5-6 record, with Windsor and Western also logjammed at the top. Saturday night's matchup between the Gryphons and Warriors, which marks the first of three straight road games for the Gryphons, can be seen live online at www.oua.tv.