The McMaster men's basketball team used some stifling defense to defeat the Queen's Gaels 71-49 during Marauder Weekend festivities on Saturday afternoon in the Burridge Gym.

The opening tip was controlled by the Marauders, who went on a 9-0 run to start the game and force Queen's into an early timeout.   Not much changed coming out of the break though as McMaster kept up the defensive pressure and by the end of the quarter, the Mac lead was 18-4.  The four points allowed was one of the best defensive quarters McMaster has played this season.

The second quarter was much like the first, as the Marauders made it tough on the Gaels to score.  Queen's did manage to get 12 points in the quarter, but McMaster scored 20 to take a 38-16 lead into halftime.

Queen's could only make  6 of 31 (19%) shots in the first-half, while the Marauders were shooting at a 47% rate (15 of 32).

McMaster won the third quarter 20-13 to extend its lead to 58-29 after 30 minutes, which was the largest margin of the contest.

The final quarter saw the Gaels reduce the deficit slightly, as a rash of Marauder fouls had Queen's in the bonus early and McMaster was content to work the shotclock down to keep any Gael comeback hopes from materializing. 

The Gaels ended up shooting just 28% from the floor, while McMaster cooled off in the second half and finished with a field-goal percentage of 40%.  The Marauders won the battle of the boards 50-35.

Leading a balanced Mac attack was Joe Rocca with 16, Aaron Redpath dropped 11 and Trevon McNeil added 10.  Gael Greg Faulkner had a game-high 17 to lead all scorers.

Holding the Gaels under 50 points for the game was testament to the solid defensive effort McMaster put on display.

The win gives McMaster a record of 13 and 3 in the OUA, and it remains in first-place in the Central Division.  The Marauders will continue their homestand on Saturday, February 14 against the Guelph Gryphons with tip-off set for 3 p.m.