Marquee Matchup: New program record sets Rams apart in key divisional win
Toronto (via Ryerson Rams; Jessica Pincente) — The No. 9 Ryerson Rams established a new program record for the most points scored in a single game in a 116-95 victory over the McMaster Marauders on Wednesday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto.
The previous record of 111 points was established back on November 25, 2016 against the Algoma Thunderbirds. Ryerson’s Jayden Frederick (Scarborough, Ont.) and Tevaun Kokko (Markham, Ont.) headlined the teams’ efforts with 25 points each in what shaped up to be a blowout OUA Marquee Matchup.
Ryerson’s bountiful opening push nearly secured a victory for the Rams in the first quarter. A frame full of dunks and highlight-reel plays saw the Rams outscore McMaster 38-26 after 10.
“We had a certain level of aggressiveness from the get-go,” said Rams head coach Borko Popic on the team’s first-quarter showing. “We managed to sustain it for a large part of the game … We came out with great energy and a good compete level, and it set us on a really good trajectory for the rest of the game.”
Midway through the second quarter, Tanor Ngom (Dakar, Senegal) totalled as many rebounds (nine) as every Marauders player combined). He achieved a double-double with just 1:55 to play in the second, rounding out the first half with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Ryerson would take a commanding 66-40 lead at the half and never turned back. The team continued to push in the third, pulling ahead by 33 with five left to play in the quarter. After 30 minutes, the Rams had surpassed the 90-point mark to take a 93-61 lead in the game.
McMaster would outscore Ryerson 34-23 in the fourth but the Rams would ultimately pull out a 116-95 win over the visitors, capturing their seventh win in their last eight games.
“We knew [McMaster] would be ready so we had a ‘punch first’ mindset,” said Mouhamed Ndiaye postgame. “We were ready off the jump and stayed ready … Basically, the key was just to keep fighting.”
Four or more Rams scored 20 or more points in 40 minutes, including Ngom (22 points, 16 rebounds) and Ndiaye (20 points, three assists). The team’s field goal percentage (62 percent) was also a season-high.
Lost in the Rams offence was the night McMaster's Jordan Henry had as he finished with 46 points and seven steals. The second year guard's showing moves him into second in the OUA scoring race, behind only Ryerson's Kokko.
The win over McMaster sees Ryerson improve to an 11-6 record on the year, officially overtaking McMaster in the Central division standings to claim the second seed. Ryerson returns to action on Saturday at home against the Brock Badgers, with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m. on the Coca-Cola Court.
