LONDON, Ont. – The men's basketball team defeated the Guelph Gryphons 94-73 for their second time this season and their first time on home court in a thrilling match. The Wednesday evening-win will push the 'Stangs to a 13-4 record while the Gryphons sink to 11-14.
 
While the Gryphons took an early lead to kick-off the game, it wasn't long before the 'Stangs would catch up to make it neck-and-neck. The match held the promise of being a high-scoring game with both teams sitting upwards of 20 points with less than five minutes remaining. With Eriq Jenkins leading the way in points for the Mustangs and Malcolm Glanville for the Gryphons, the first quarter would close at a 28-28 tie.
 
Guelph would be the team to break the stalemate and set the ball rolling. After going down with an injury, Aaron Tennant's free-throw would be the point to tie the game back up at 33-all, but it wouldn't take long for it to shift to 38-38. Point by point, both frustrations and tensions grew as the match spiked in intensity and aggression. With a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Aaron Nugent, Guelph would end the half one-point shy of the Mustangs.
 
The third quarter was where the Mustangs would find their footing and begin to pull ahead. Starting off at 47-46, their offensive strategy demonstrated more cohesion than the previous two quarters, allowing them to pull ahead by a 15-point margin with four minutes remaining. Jenkins would sink two baskets followed by lengthy slides across the court and Ukasha Khan wouldn't be shy in performing his token slam-dunks.
 
Jenkins was the Mustang to push the team past 80 points with two consecutive three-pointers – making for a 26-point Purple-lead at the start of the fourth quarter. The Gryphons' previous focus had since diminished, replaced with frustration as the few baskets they did manage were a result of free-throws. With six minutes left in the match, the Mustangs would lead by 23 and look to run the clock while maintaining their pace. With one final basket, Jenkins would close out the game 94-73 as the evening's lead-scorer on the court.
 
The Mustangs will be returning to home court on Friday, January 31^st in their first meet-up of the season with the Carleton Ravens. The game is scheduled to begin at 8:00 P.M EST.