Box Score The McMaster men's basketball team got up by as many as 30 in the first half, and defeated the Guelph Gryphons 88-59 in OUA West action Wednesday night in Guelph.

The Marauders started the game on fire with Aaron Redpath making his first four shots and his teammates following his lead. The Gryphons held an early 8-7 lead when McMaster stepped on the gas and outscored Guelph 17 -3 to finish the quarter ahead 24-11.

Building on the lead in the second quarter, the Marauders played some tough defense and held Guelph to two free throws over the first seven minutes of the period. Going to the bench late in the half, the Marauders allowed Guelph to make a late rally, but the Gryphons still trailed 41-18 at the intermission. As a team McMaster shot 59% from the floor for the first two quarters, with Redpath dropping 13 points.

Perhaps thinking the game was in the bag, the Marauders came out in the third with less intensity than they displayed in the first half. The Gryphons seized on the opportunity to score 28 points and the Maroon margin after three quarters stood at 63-46. Guelph's Taylor Boers scored 14 in the quarter to key the Gryphon comeback.

A stern rebuke from Coach Amos Connolly about the lax defense in the third quarter got the Marauders playing hard again and the lead started to expand as Guelph's shooting cooled off in the final stanza.

Getting the lead back up around 30 points, McMaster cleared the bench and closed out the 88-59 victory. It was the team's third straight win on the road, improving to 12 and 3 on the season.

Aaron Redpath had 15 points to lead six Marauders in double-figures. Adam Presutti had 13, Nate Pelech 12, with Nathan McCarthy, Rohan Boney and Joe Rocca all chipping in 11 points. Boers was the top shooter for Guelph with his 14 points.

The Marauder shooting finished at 48% for the game, which included a solid 8 of 15 from behind the arc. McMaster dominated on the boards by 46-27.

Next action for McMaster is a return to the Burridge Gym to play Western on Saturday, January 25th at 3-pm. The game is part of the THINK PINK initiative with proceeds going to support the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.