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MBB: Ankit Choudhary vs. Queen's, Nov. 5, 2021
Photo by Curtis Martin
87
Winner Queen's QUEEN'S 2-0, 2-0
81
Ryerson RYERSON 0-2, 0-2
Winner
Queen's QUEEN'S
2-0, 2-0
87
Final
81
Ryerson RYERSON
0-2, 0-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Queen's QUEEN'S 23 11 26 27 87
Ryerson RYERSON 21 21 22 17 81

Game Recap: Basketball (M) | | Christina Flores-Chan

Rams fall to Queen's in season opener

TORONTO — The Rams men's basketball team dropped the ball Friday night against the Queen's Gaels at their home and season opener, losing 87-81 despite maintaining the lead for most of the first three quarters of the game.

The first quarter saw both teams looking tight on the court, with even ball possession and the Rams being selective, yet efficient enough at shooting in the paint to lead 23-21 before the start of the second. Point guard Ankit Choudhary went 100 per cent in field goal attempts, accumulating seven points between one three-pointer and two jump shots, and guard Marcus Upshaw posted six of his own. Rams rookie Aaron Rhooms also also played significant minutes and produced four points in lay-ups, and one rebound and block on the defensive end.

With their pre-set defensive and team skill-based goals in mind, the Rams widened the scoring gap to an eight-point game during the second quarter by executing their game plan of "being selfless with the ball, getting paint touches and making that extra pass," according to assistant coach Mario Celebre. 

The team's best shooters continued to put on a clinic offensively, with Choudhary racking up 15 points by the end of the second quarter, but the Rams' growing lead came from the support and elevated defence of the team. By halftime, they had a total of 27 rebounds, seven assists (three of which were from Tyler Sagl), 11 second chance points, and 12 points off turnovers. Rams guard Mouhamed Ndiaye had four rebounds at the first half and eight rebounds by the end of the game, seven of which were defensive.

Queen's came back hungry in the third, and that quarter saw the teams running fast-paced plays, making offensive pushes whenever possible. The Gaels managed to drive the ball to the net to earn 14 points in the paint and 26 total to the Rams' 10 and 22 respectively. As intensity increased on the court, both Sagl and Rams guard Tom Dumont had three personal fouls by the end of the quarter, while the Gaels had turned the game into a four-point game.

The fourth quarter quickly unraveled the Rams lead, when Queens dropped a 10-0 run within the first two minutes and four three-pointers from their fifth-year guard Quinton Gray alone. Queens also managed 11 points from turnovers in the fourth and won the game by six points, while the Rams struggled to shoot under pressure, landing four of 15 attempted field goals (a scoring percentage of 27). 

Choudhary described the Rams performance in the fourth as "stagnant" and not up to their own standards defensively, saying he believed that the team wasn't at their best, but that they will be for their next game against the Gaels on Sunday.

"We will be making small adjustments to the game plan for Sunday," Celebre said, "but the overarching theme of moving the ball and competing defensively is here to stay, it's what we want as our [team] identity going forward."

Tipoff for Sunday's game is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Mattamy Athletic Centre and will be available for viewing at OUA.tv. 

Fans can purchase tickets for all Rams home games this season, here. Ryerson students, staff, and faculty are free but still need to reserve a ticket in advance of arriving on game day. Utilize the access code RAMS to reserve your free ticket. Health and safety protocols are in place - more information is available at the ticketing website.
 
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