TORONTO - The Ryerson men's basketball team took down the No.10 nationally ranked Western Mustangs 87-82 on Saturday afternoon, in front of a packed OBA Day crowd. 

The Rams were led by the scoring performances of Tevaun Kokko (Markham, Ont.) and Tanor Ngom (Dakar, Senegal) who finished with 23 points each. To go along with Ngom's 23 points, he put up 23 boards, setting a new program record for rebounds in a game. The previous mark of 21 was held by Igor Bakovic (Jan. 19, 2009) and Joseph Imbrogno (Feb. 17, 2006).

Jayden Frederick (Scarborough, Ont.) and Mouhamed Ndiaye (Longueuil, Que.) also showed significant contributions with 18 and 14 points respectively. 

When the 6-5 Rams took the floor against the 11-2 Mustangs, Ryerson asserted themselves early. With a dominant start by Ngom, including four quick points and a block, the Rams pulled ahead 20-16 after the first quarter shooting 57% from the field. Kokko led the scoring with eight points. 

The second quarter could not have been stronger by the Rams, as they worked very effectively on defence, contesting shots and forcing turnovers. The Rams outscored the Mustangs 34-15 in the second, with Frederick scoring eight of those points and Ngom finishing the half with a double-double (11p, 15r). Rams led 54-31.

The Mustangs had a resurgence in the third quarter, outscoring the Rams 31-17. Western guard Omar Shiddo caught fire from behind the arc and outscored the entire Ryerson team in the third with 21 points.

"He hurt us," said Rams head coach Borko Popic. "He's a shot-maker who found his rhythm."

The Mustangs also did well to force many fouls out of the Rams, which slowed them down offensively. Ryerson still led 71-62 with one quarter left to play. 

The Rams started the fourth with a pair of Frederick buckets, but Western fought back with strong defence and Julian Walker who got his offence going in late in the game. The Mustangs brought the game within five points with two minutes left to play, but the Rams held them off with some clutch free-throw shooting and stops. 

Tanor Ngom was the OBA Day crowd fan favorite as he put up a historic 23 points and 23 rebounds, and had some inspiring post-match words, saying, "In my first year here at Ryerson, I told Roy Rana (head coach of 2017-2018 season) that my main goal in basketball, and in life, was to be remembered. So to be able to say that I'm in the record books of the school forever, it feels amazing, to be honest."  

Coach Popic also talked about Tanor's game, saying, "Tonight was historic, [...] he ended up playing 30 minutes which might be his highest total, and it was because he was able to stay out of foul trouble." 

The Rams will be back on the court this Wednesday in Waterloo taking on the 3-9 Waterloo Warriors. Catch the game on OUA.tv at 8 p.m.