GUELPH, Ont. - Winning streaks are fun for everyone involved, especially when you're beating division rivals. But all good things must come to an end, as it did for the Golden Hawks against the Gryphons in Guelph on Wednesday night, 86-85.
The result was a wake-up call for a Golden Hawks team hoping to make a deep playoff run this month. Those who've been following along this season know Laurier often struggles in the first quarter, and tonight was no different. The Golden Hawks have been very effective at chasing games, with many of their wins coming off impressive comeback efforts.
However, after taking the lead late in the fourth quarter tonight, they were unable to hold on and ultimately lost to a very determined Gryphons team. The loss is Laurier's first since November 27.
While on paper Laurier seemed like heavy favourites in this matchup, with Guelph having won only three games before tonight, Golden Hawks Manager of Basketball Operations and Head Coach
Justin Serresse didn't see it that way.
"If you watch the tape... I knew how tough this game was going to be because they don't give away games. You have to go out there and take it," Serresse said. "When they lose, teams are going out and taking it from them ... Guelph will never be an easy out."
Laurier once again started with some cool shooting to start the game, making only 7 of their 18 first-quarter attempts - including just 2 of 8 from three-point range.
Credit is due to the Gryphons' defence, which was excellent all game. In the opening frame, they generated 14 points off Laurier turnovers. Guelph held a 21-18 lead after ten minutes of play, thanks to a buzzer-beater three-pointer from Jalen Mason.
The Gryphons' offence was only beginning to heat up, as they put together a 14-0 run to start the second quarter.
Defensively, they continued to hound the Golden Hawks, particularly
Ali Sow, who was held to just 1 of 8 shooting from the field, including 0 of 4 from three-point range in the first half.
Guelph's lead had grown to 47-32 by halftime.
"[Guelph] came out with a lot of aggression," said Serresse. "A lot of 50/50 balls that they won, a lot of tips that went in. A lot of the stuff that could've gone their way, went their way because they were the hardest working team."
The third quarter saw improvement on both sides of the ball from the purple and gold. They managed to cut the lead to 66-58 heading into the fourth and were beginning to look much more comfortable in their ball movement and shot selection.
It wasn't until nearly halfway through the final frame that they finally took the lead, thanks to
Majok Deng (Surrey, B.C.), who's built a reputation this season as being extremely dependable in the clutch.
And while Sow, who sits second in OUA scoring, did his best to put the team on his back down the stretch, the conference's sixth-highest scorer - Malcom Glanville - was up to the task for the Gryphons.
Glanville scored six points in the final four minutes, including the game-winning free-throw with exactly one second left.
The loss moves Laurier to 8-5 on the season, as they remain in third place in the OUA West.
As for what they need to do to get back in the win column, Serresse explained how "at the end of the day, we just have to be able to play our brand of basketball".
"When we do that, we have a really good chance of winning."
With the win, the Gryphons have put themselves in a position to possibly grab the final playoff spot in the division, setting up a first-round matchup with the Golden Hawks, and making Friday's rematch a must-see game.
Top Perfomers
Golden Hawks
Majok Deng While he may not have blown up the stat sheet (ten points, six rebounds), Deng was reliable both on offence and defence for the Golden Hawks. He was also a perfect 5 of 5 from the field.
Gryphons
Malcom Glanville
Glanville fell just four short of reaching 1,000 career OUA points, but still had an excellent overall game, scoring 24 and pulling down six rebounds.
Up Next
The Gryphons will be in Waterloo to face the Golden Hawks at 8 PM on Friday. Tickets are on sale at
tickets.laurierathletics.com.
You can also watch live at OUA.tv.
