GUELPH, Ont – The Guelph Gryphons outscored the Mustangs in the final three quarters on their way to an 81-68 victory at the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre on Saturday night.
 
The loss, Western's third straight, moves their record to 3-5. The Mustangs sit in third place of the OUA West Division Standings behind Laurier and Windsor, who are two points ahead. Guelph's record also moves to 3-5, placing them third in the OUA Central Division.
 
Three Mustangs hit double digits in Saturday's contest, with Greg Morrow topping the game at 28 points. Anthony Spiridis and Peter Scholtes followed their teammate with 16 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Alex Coote lead Western defensively with game-high 10 personal rebounds. Tom Filgiano followed close behind with eight of his own while Morrow recorded seven.
 
Four Gryphon players hit double digits, with Ahmed Haroon leading the way at 26 points and teammate Jonathan Wallace recording 20 of his own. Jack Beatty hit 18 points and Daniel Dooley had 13, including three successful three-point baskets. Haroon also lead his team on defence with six rebounds, with Wallace and Beatty following at five apiece.
 
Despite the two teams recording an equal 66.7% in free throw attempts, it was the Gryphons who found more success from behind the arc, shooting at 42.3% compared to Western's 10.5%. Overall, they shot 43.1% from the field compared to Western's 37.3%.
 
Western kept the ball in Gryphon territory early to gain a quick advantage in the first quarter, jumping out to a lead that they would take into the second quarter. Morrow was a force for the Mustangs, scoring six points within thirty seconds to help his team stay on top, and a last second basket from Eric MacDonald would give Western an 18-11 lead heading into the break.
 
While the Mustangs kept the lead through the majority of the second frame, the Gryphons fought hard to get back on top. Western was able to keep their defence tight but disciplined, only recording seven fouls in the first 20 minutes of play. However, the Gryphons increased their speed and back-to-back baskets within the last minute of play to put the Mustangs behind by three, ending the half up 33-30.
 
The Mustangs came out of the gate in the second half with increased momentum to get back the lead but the Gryphons seemed to have an answer for every Western basket. Haroon scored nine points within the first three minutes of play to maintain Guelph's lead and, despite getting within six points of the home team, the Mustangs would finish the third frame down 61-50.
 
Morrow continued to dominate the Mustang scoresheet, recording 16 points in the last 20 minutes of play including eight of the team's 18 points in the last frame. Still, a combined effort by Wallace and Haroon of the Gryphons gave the home team 13 points in the final quarter to help Guelph secure an 81-68 victory on home court.
 
The Mustangs first home game of 2016 will be against the Algoma Thunderbirds on January 15 at Alumni Hall. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. and the game can be watched live on OUA.tv.