By Libaan Osman
The Ryerson Rams men’s basketball team held off a third-quarter surge from the Queen’s Gaels, earning their second straight victory 84-62 on Jan. 11 at the Athletic and Recreation Centre.
Up 20 at the half, the Gaels would give the Rams a scare, cutting their lead to just seven with 4:18 left to play in the third.
Queen’s would connect on five threes in the quarter, but both Jean-Victor Mukama and Filip Vujadinovic wouldn’t let the Gaels spoil their phenomenal offensive night.
Three straight baskets from the tandem of Mukama and Vujadinovic late in the third pushed the Rams lead back to 15, giving them the breathing room they needed to put it away in the fourth.
Stellar defence from the Rams held the Gaels to just 12 points after the four-minute mark in the third. Ryerson would eventually outscore Queen’s 17-8 in the final quarter, as they coasted to a 22-point win, improving to 12-1 on the season.
Vujadinovic, who came into this contest aggressively looking for his shot, didn’t disappoint. He finished with a double-double of 21 points (9-14 FG) and 10 rebounds in 33 minutes of action.
Dropping 14 of Ryerson’s first 24 points, Vujadinovic also had three rebounds to go along with three blocks in the first quarter alone, giving the Rams a 15-point advantage heading into the second.
His veteran comrade Mukama led the game in scoring with 25 points (9-13 FG), eight rebounds and three assists. He was also perfect from beyond the arc, finishing 5-5 from long distance.
Ryerson was all over the glass, out-rebounding Queen’s 49-27 but more impressively, winning the second chance battle 14-2.
Rams head coach Roy Rana elected to start third-year forward Warsame Mohamed at the centre position for the first time this season. Mohamed caught a rhythm in the second quarter and poured in 16 points (8-12 FG) and five rebounds in 24 minutes of action.
Sophomore Tanor Ngom came off the bench, but only played six minutes due to foul trouble.
For the Gaels, Tanner Graham led them in scoring with 17 points and nine rebounds on 4-10 shooting from the field.
UP NEXT: The Rams will head to Tait McKenzie Centre to take on the York Lions, a team that Ryerson has won 15 straight games against dating back to the 2011 season. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
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