The Royals Men's Basketball team headed to Brampton, ON tonight to open their season against the Sheridan Bruins. 

The Royals, ranked #15 in the country, did not start their season the way they had anticipated. The Royals tipped off against the Bruins and quickly went down 0 - 6. The Royals continued to battle throughout the first quarter and were able to get back to a score of 17-19 at the first buzzer. The second quarter saw the Bruins increase their gap from the Royals and this trend continued through to the fourth quarter. The Royals entered the fourth quarter down by 15. It seemed as though the Bruins were running away with the game in the fourth quarter, however 7 turnovers from the Bruins allowed the Royals to come back within 4 points. Despite a late game push from the Royals, the Bruins came out on top with a final score of 85 - 91. 

 Third year transfer Isaiah Brinkley (Rochester, NY)had a strong showing in his first OCAA match as a Royal racking up a game-high 23 points. Foster Brown (Stoney Creek, ON) also had a strong offensive showing, adding 21 points for the Royals and continuing to showcase why he has made such a name for himself in this OCAA. Third years Goran Veselinovic and Blake Anderson also both supported the team by added 11 points of their own to the total. 

Mahmoud Qasim had a game high 24-points for the Sheridan Bruins. 

Head Coach Jamie Girolametto reflects that "unfortunately it was a disappointing effort. We lacked detail and past mistakes that we thought we had left behind really came back to hurt us tonight. We will be better on Saturday."

The Royals will look to bounce back on Saturday afternoon against cross town rivals the Mohawk Mountaineers.