TORONTO- Jelane Pryce tallied 20 points and eight rebounds while Jordon Gauthier recorded a double-double, and the Ryerson Rams men's basketball team earned a victory in its final conference home game of 2011, defeating the Western Mustangs 87-76 at Kerr Hall Gym.
Gauthier finished with 18 points and 11 boards, while Ola Adegboruwa and Jahmal Jones also put up 18 and 16 respectively as the Rams ended with a 48% field-goal percentage and out-rebounded their Mustangs counterparts 37-17. Ryerson improves their record to 2-4, while Western falls to 1-5 following the loss.
"I think they're feeling good," said Head Coach Roy Rana of his players. "I thought we came off the floor at Lakehead and last night (against Windsor) not feeling good about ourselves because we didn't give the effort. We weren't tough enough. (I told them) this is the kind of game that's going to define who we are. I thought they gave everything they had tonight."
BOXSCORE
Innisfil, Ont. native Pryce led the Rams with eight points in the first five minutes to give Ryerson a 15-11 lead in the opening quarter. Jones (Mississauga) and Gauthier (Windsor, Ont.) tallied the next six points, extending the lead to ten. Jones then was fouled on a penetration inside, but managed to make the bucket and sink the foul shot as Ryerson continued to pad the score. They took a 28-15 lead into the second quarter.
Pryce continued to heat up, dropping back-to-back three-pointers when the Mustangs chose not to contest him from beyond the arc. The 6'7'' forward moved from the perimeter to the low post and picked up a bucket plus the harm. He finished with a first-half high of 16 points.
However, the Mustangs were able to cut slightly into the lead, but more importantly forced Jones to pick up his third personal foul with 2:12 to go in the half. Ryan Barbeau's jumper soon after was the sixth straight point for Western, and they were also down by the six with over a minute to play in the period. Gauthier picked up a rebound and put it back for two, and Ryerson headed to the locker room up 46-38 at halftime.
The teams traded points through the first five minutes of the third quarter as Ryerson held onto a small cushion. After Jones threaded the needle on a pass to Adegboruwa on the baseline for a lay-in, Gauthier sliced through the Mustangs defense on the following possession and finished with a finger-roll into the bucket. That brought a halt to the momentum Western built through the middle portion of the period and restored a double-digit advantage.
Pryce continued to be a factor, taking a charging foul with 1:33 left that Jones converted into a three-pointer at the other end. The Rams were shooting 46% at the end of the third, and headed into the final quarter with a 64-52 lead.
Western responded through the early part of the fourth, going on an 8-2 run and coming within six points once again with 7:00 left on the clock. Peter Scholtes was left wide open in the corner, and made good on a three to five, but Jones and Adegboruwa answered with an end-to-end sprint that gave the latter an easy finish on a pass from his fellow guard.
Another three by Scholtes helped the Mustangs keep pace, but a thundering dunk by Luke Staniscia with just over two minutes to play gave Ryerson the momentum once again late in the contest. The Pefferlaw, Ont. native then drew a foul, sunk both his free throws and Ryerson kept possession as Nathan Diloreto fouled out of the game. Staniscia finished with nine points and six rebounds.
The Rams made six of their last seven free throws down the stretch to clinch their second victory of the season.
The men will hit the road for their last two games before the holiday break, travelling to Brock and McMaster next Friday and Saturday respectively.
