RECAP: Gee-Gees power to 20-point season opening win in Guelph

The Gee-Gees men's basketball team opened their 2023-24 OUA regular season campaign with a 86-66 win over the Guelph Gryphons in Guelph.

Though the teams were deadlocked at 20 through the first frame, the Gee-Gees offence exploded through the second and third frames to open a 20-point lead and secure their first win of the new season.

With a massive turnout for nearby Fergus, Ont. natives Cole and Brock Newton, the Gee-Gees fed off a friendly crowd at the Gryphons gym to fuel their win. 

The Gee-Gees were led by an 18-point, five-rebound effort from Dragan Stajic. Brock Newton added 17 points, including a poster dunk in the fourth quarter that was met with a raucous reception from Ottawa fans. 

Jacques-Mélaine Guemeta had 13 points to round out Gee-Gees scoring in double-digits. Justin Ndjock-Tadjore and Khalifa Koulamallah both added nine points in their regular season debuts for the Gee-Gees. 

In all, Ottawa held Guelph to 35 per cent shooting and outscored Guelph 42-14 in the paint. The Gee-Gees struggled shooting from three but made up for it with high percentage looks inside and capitalized for 22 points off of turnovers.

Up next, the Gee-Gees will head to Southwestern Ontario to for matchups with Windsor and Western on Friday and Saturday respectively. Both games will tip off at 8 p.m. and stream live on OUA.tv