Leading by 17 in the second half, the CIS no.4-ranked Marauders looked to be on the way to another impressive victory on Sunday.

But the no. 5-ranked Guelph Gryphons reeled off three tries in quick succession, with McMaster captain Cindy Nelles in the penalty box, to salvage a 27-27 draw at Back 10 Field.

It was a wild turn of events, and one that would have won the Gryphons the match had their final convert not rattled off the upright and fallen wide.

Katie Svoboda, Colleen Irowa, Cindy Nelles and Heidi Henderson had tries for the Marauders (3-0-1), who remain the only undefeated team in the OUA's Russell Division, with just one conference match left to be played.

First blood went to the Gryphons on Saturday, as the visitors crossed the line for the match's first try, but could not make good on the ensuing convert.

The blinding speed of McMaster paid dividends minutes later, as the rookie Svoboda capped a quick rush by touching down to level the match. Steph Black successfully converted to move McMaster ahead 7-5.

Irowa extended that advantage later in the half, as the Marauder methodically moved downfield before shifting the ball to the second-year prop, who barrelled through her defenders and across the line. A missed convert saw the teams resume play with McMaster leading 12-5.

A loose pass by the Gryphons was punished when Kailyn Jones intercepted and found Nelles in support. The Marauder captain did the rest, cutting wide around the Gryphons and touching down for McMaster's third try of the half. Black followed with her second convert, and the Marauders carried a 19-5 lead into the break.

The home side paid for a mistake of its own early in the second half, as a misjudged pass fell in the end zone, and Guelph easily jumped on it for their second try of the match. The convert was no good, so McMaster's lead stood at 19-10.

Henderson crossed the line to extend that lead to 14 points, and a successful penalty from Sara Svoboda pushed McMaster ahead 27-10.

But that's when momentum took a sudden turn.

With McMaster pressing deep in Guelph territory for another try, Nelles was penalized and sent to the bin, and the Gryphons quickly took advantage of her absence to touch down, hitting the convert to cut their deficit to 27-17.

Minutes later, Guelph had another breakthrough, as McMaster looked lost without Nelles to coordinate their defence. The convert went wide, however, and the Marauders clung to a 27-22 lead.

But having grabbed control of the match, the Gryphons completed the comeback in the dying moments, crossing the line for a third successive try and tying the match in the process. There was a golden opportunity for them to snatch a victory, but the convert attempt hit the upright and fell harmlessly wide.

Having remained unbeaten, the Marauders can now claim the OUA's best record with a win against the Toronto Varsity Blues next week.

That match will take place at McMaster's Back 10 Field, and is slated to get underway at 1:00 p.m.