The Brock Badgers men’s basketball team begin their 2024-25 season with a huge win in front of the packed Bob Davis Gymnasium, crushing the Guelph Gryphons 64-47 on Oct. 24.
It was a team win for Brock, with all 12 players scoring in the game, as the offence was spread out in the first with nine Badgers hitting the score sheet in the quarter.
Anthony Heyes, second-year guard from St. Catharines, led the team with five points in the frame, while fellow sophomore Nils Gesmann, added four more in the paint. The German centre looks poised in the starting role, finishing with eight points on four-of-five shooting in the game, as the six-foot-eight big will look to continue to grow in an enhanced role this season.
The Badgers outscored the Gryphons 27-10 in the opening quarter, shooting 55.6 per cent from the field — by far their best shooting quarter in the game — but sloppy play in the second allowed Guelph a chance back into the contest.
Brock committed nine of their 14 turnovers in the second quarter, many of which were at the top of the key, allowing the Gryphons fast break opportunities, which they capitalized on. Guelph guard Jack Tunstill led the way for the visitors with nine of his game-high 12 points in the frame as the Gryphons outscored the Badgers 15-10 to cut their deficit down to 12, 37-25, entering halftime.
The Gryphons began the second half as the first half ended, going on a 5-0 run in the opening two minutes of the third quarter to further cut the Brock lead to seven.
However, the Badgers regained control, showcasing their tenacity and perseverance that led them on a Cinderella run to the Wilson Cup Final a year ago, as the 2023-24 OUA Runners-Up went on a 17-5 run to close the quarter.
Georges Mfwamba Ngandu, a staple of the Badgers playoff run to the U Sports National Championships last season, scored a team-high six points in the third as Brock entered the fourth quarter up 19, looking to seal their 10th straight home opener victory.
Nathan Charles, who transferred to Brock after playing three seasons for McMaster, led all Badger players with six points in the fourth as the Mississauga-native finished with a team-high 10 points and seven rebounds in his Badgers’ debut.
The Gryphons responded though in the latter stages of the quarter, going on a 12-4 run in the final four minutes to close the game but it was too late, as the Badgers held on for the season opener victory.
In the win, the Badgers shot 34.4 per cent (22-for-64) from the field, while the Gryphons shot 29.8 per cent (17-for-57), and outscored Guelph from beyond the arc — four threes compared to one — and from the free throw line, scoring 16 points from the line in comparison to Guelph’s 12.
Next, the Badgers head north to begin their road schedule in Sudbury against the Laurentian Voyageurs on Nov. 2 before battling the Nipissing Lakers in North Bay on Nov. 3.
For more information about the Badgers men’s basketball team, visit gobadgers.ca.