HAMILTON, Ont. - The Ryerson Rams men's basketball team knocked off the No. 7 nationally ranked McMaster Marauders 98-90 on Wednesday night, shooting an impressive 50.4% from the field in the process.

Five different Rams finished in double digits in scoring, including Jayden Frederick (Toronto) with 21, Tevaun Kokko (Markham, Ont.) and Tanor Ngom (Dakar, Senegal) with 19 each, Keevon Small (Montreal, Que.) with 13, and Liam O'Leary-Orange (Toronto) with 12 points.

The Rams scored the first five points of the game but then surrendered 26 in the rest of the frame and found themselves trailing 26-23 after ten minutes. Ryerson continued to keep things close in the second, closing the gap slightly to just a one point deficit at 46-45 at halftime.

Ryerson's offence sprung to life in the third quarter, exploding for 30 points in the frame. It was also their best quarter defensively, holding McMaster to 19 points. Looking as if they would head into the final frame leading by seven points, Ryerson's Kokko hit a buzzer-beater three-pointer to make it a 75-65 advantage with ten minutes to play.

That extra bit of breathing room gave the Rams some confidence into the fourth as Ryerson's lead ballooned to as many as 16. However, the Marauders showed why they are a nationally ranked team with their ability to battle back. McMaster got back to within two possessions at 96-90 but time ran out on the home team's comeback and Ryerson prevailed with the victory.

The Rams move two points closer to the Marauders in the standings, as Ryerson improves to 6-5 while McMaster slides to 8-3 on the season. 

Ryerson is back in action on Saturday, January 11 when they host the Western Mustangs on Ontario Basketball Association (OBA) Day. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.