TORONTO - The Ryerson Rams men's basketball team secured a 78-75 win against the Windsor Lancers on Friday night.

With the Rams out-rebounding the Lancers and playing solid defence in all four quarters, they managed to finally get a nail-biting ending to go their way.

The Rams started the game off perfectly, opening the scoring at 12-0 and finishing the quarter at 26-17. The quarter consisted of a complete offensive performance with points coming from all starters.
The Lancers came back fighting in the following quarter to make it a two-point game and kept it that way until half time where the score lied 38-36 for the Rams. Lancers forward Thomas Kennedy scored 16 points in the first half to lead Windsor's frontcourt and finished with a game-high of 33. 

Windsor kept their strong play going with a 5-0 run to start the third quarter and made it 41-38 Lancers. The Rams took back control in the third, being up as many as nine points, but ended the quarter leading just 62-60. After scoring just six points in the first half, Jayden Frederick (Scarborough, Ont.) imposed his game much more in the third to give the Rams the lead.

For the fourth consecutive Rams game, the fourth quarter came down to the wire. The entire fourth quarter was back and forth, with Windsor making a big three to make it 75-72 with just 26 seconds remaining. The Rams managed to score two quick points and get the ball back in their hands via jump ball. With the Rams being down one with nine seconds left, Frederick drove and finished an extremely difficult layup while being fouled. Frederick proceeded to miss the free-throw but Keevon Small (Montreal, Que.) caught the clutch rebound and converted both of his free-throws after being fouled himself. 

In the end, the Rams won by three points to secure a much-needed win before a week-long break. 

"We're used to being in close game situations, so there wasn't too much pressure for us to execute at the end of the game," said Tevaun Kokko (Markham, Ont.) who led the Rams with 21 points and six assists. Kokko's leadership role is significant and proved to be valuable in tonight's win. 

Rams head coach Borko Popic felt relieved for his players after the win, saying, "We've been on the short end three times in a row now, and they've all came down to one-possession games. Those moments are all about execution and tonight we were able to execute and come out on top." 

The Rams will have eight days off and return next Saturday against the York Lions on the road.