TORONTO – The No. 6 nationally ranked Ryerson Rams hosted the Guelph Gryphons for round one of the Wilson Cup playoffs on Wednesday night.

The last time these two teams met, the Rams barely escaped to win 91-85. But that was not the case Wednesday night, as the Rams dominated the whole game and won with a convincing 109-63 lead.

"Last game was a bit of a wakeup call," said head coach Borko Popic. "Our guys were locked in from the get-go (tonight), they knew the opponent they were facing, and we play with an energy and competitive spirit from the beginning."

The Gryphons won possession on the tip but would miss their jumper. The Rams rebounded and raced down the court for a Tevaun Kokko (Markham, Ont.) three-pointer. The Rams would proceed to go off for the rest of the quarter. The Rams were playing so well Popic put the bench in early. Kokko scored another three, Liam O'Leary-Orange (Toronto) would get a slam and complete a three-point play, and Mouhamed Ndiaye (Longueuil, Que.) would add his own three-pointer. At the end of the quarter the Rams led 31-14. Kokko finished the first 15 points. 

"This is Ryerson basketball," said Keevon Small (Montreal, Que.). "We're on our home court, we got our home court fans and we're pretty much just locked in."

The Rams didn't slow down in the second and continued to produce many highlight worthy plays. Ndiaye got the team started with another three and the next play, converted the put back of a missed three. He would end with 11 points and four rebounds. Tanor Ngom (Dakar, Senegal) would contribute with an alley oop. Some foul trouble would keep him on the bench, but he would still end with 12 points and five rebounds. Jayden Frederick (Scarborough, Ont.) would get two dunks, he would also end with 12 points and five rebounds. The Rams would also get three-point help from Small and Tom Dumont (Montreuil, France). The Rams shot 54 percent from beyond the arc and would lead 59-30 at the half. 

"We followed what the coaches said, executed the game plan, and had a good shoot-around," said Kokko. "We just stayed committed to how we played the last few games, and got back to what we've been doing." 

The Rams would continue their great play in the third, although they would cool off a bit, shooting a game-low 23 points. Dumont would make an incredible play in the third getting the steal and finishing with a crazy layup to get the crowd on their feet. Despite the big lead the Rams had trouble getting boards, ending the game with 39 rebounds, the exact same amount as the Gryphons. 

"We have a lot of depth in our team," said Popic. "They are able to capitalize when they get opportunities and it was good to see, it's always good to play a variety of players."

The fourth quarter was dedicated to the Rams' bench who contributed 51 points. Stefan Kojovic (Oakville, Ont.) would have himself a quarter, going 4-4 from beyond the arc and netting 17 points, a career high. Brandon Ramirez (Scarborough, Ont.) also played well getting two steals and shooting over 90 percent in 11 minutes. The Rams booked their ticket to the Wilson Cup quarter-final in spectacular fashion with a 109-63 win.

"Rebounding, getting to the paint, making our shots, defending," said Small on what they need to do come Saturday. "We need to be locked in on defence, because defence wins games and championships."

The Rams head to Ottawa next to face the Gee-Gees in the quarter-finals on Saturday, February 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Stream the game live on OUA.tv. 

"It's another game," said Popic. "Ottawa is the next one, it's on the road and we'll be ready."