GUELPH, Ont. (November 12, 2016)-
Jesse Graham tallied a team-best 18 points, and the Queen's Gaels men's basketball team earned their first win of the regular season on Saturday night, coming back to defeat the Guelph Gryphons 77-74.
GAME FLOW
Graham (Kingston, Ont.) added four rebounds and shot 8-of-12 from the floor, while brother Tanner tallied eight points and a game-high 17 rebounds for the Gaels, who were down by as many as seven points to the Gryphons in the final quarter of play after a tight back-and-forth affair that lasted throughout the entire contest.
An 8-0 run that included four points from
Sammy Ayisi (Toronto), who totaled 17 on the night, put the Gaels in front with just under three minutes left in regulation. The teams traded baskets over the final two minutes, and a jumper from
Jesse Graham with under half-a-minute to play proved to be the winner.
The Gaels shot 40.5% (30-74) from the floor, and outrebounded the Gryphons 43-29. Queen's got 35 points from its bench, and held Guelph to just three baskets from beyond the arc and eight offensive boards.
Ahmed Haroon tallied 25 points and nine rebounds in a losing cause for the Gryphons, who start the season 0-1.
BY THE NUMBERS
14- The difference in rebounding between Queen's (43) and Guelph (29)
14- Richard Iheanindu (Brampton, Ont.) picked up 14 points for the Gaels
9- The largest lead for either side throughout the contest
UP NEXT
Queen's returns to Kingston next weekend for their home opening matches at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC). The Gaels will host Laurier and Waterloo on Friday and Saturday respectively. Both matches tip-off at 8:00 p.m. and can be seen live on OUA.tv.
