GUELPH, Ont. — The No. 8 Ryerson Rams overcame a 12-point deficit with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter to earn a 91-85 victory over the Guelph Gryphons on Wednesday evening at the Gryphon Athletic Centre. 

Ryerson's Tevaun Kokko (Markham, Ont.) frontlined the team's efforts, totalling 29 points, eight assists, five steals and four rebounds through four quarters. 

The Rams' first-quarter efforts kicked off the team's path to 91 as Ryerson pulled ahead with a 25-17 lead on 53 percent shooting. Jayden Frederick (Scarborough, Ont.) led the Rams with seven points after 10, sharing the spotlight with Kokko and Keevon Small (Montreal, Que.) who each tallied six in the quarter. 

Guelph seemed to find their footing in the second, hitting several open three-point shots and squaring the score up at 5:09. The Rams adjusted well but Guelph couldn't be stopped beyond the arc or in the paint, going on to outscore Ryerson 30-20 in the quarter. The Gryphons pulled ahead with a 48-45 lead at halftime. 

The Gryphons' third-quarter play was detrimental to the Rams' efforts. Guelph came out fighting and immediately increased their lead, soon going on a 12-0 run to pull ahead 61-49. Two sunken free throws by Small slowed down the Gryphons' momentum, but Guelph's Malcolm Glanville couldn't be stopped and went on to score nine in the quarter to eventually lead his team to a 73-63 game after 30. Frederick and Kokko were both held to four-point quarters. 

The Gryphons maintained their 10 or 11-point lead through much of the fourth quarter, but the tides began to turn for Ryerson at the 4:30 mark of the fourth on a simple Small free throw. Kokko would soon come alive and collect 13 points in just four minutes and two seconds with the game on the line. Kokko's efforts completed a remarkable 21-4 run to earn the Rams a 91-85 win in the game. The victory over Guelph was the teams' 13th win of the season and their ninth in ten games. 

Frederick finished the game with 19 points, six rebounds and three steals, while big man Tanor Ngom (Dakar, Senegal) totalled 14 points and nine rebounds. Small played 39 minutes in the win, finishing the game with 17 points and 6 rebounds on four-for-seven shooting. 

The Rams are set to return to action Sunday afternoon at Algoma. Tip off is set for 3:00 p.m. at the George Leach Centre in Sault Ste. Marie.