Box Score For the second straight night, the McMaster men's basketball team coughed up a late lead and dropped a 74-72 game to the Lakehead  Thunderwolves on Saturday night.

Still smarting from Friday's fourth-quarter collapse, the Marauders started Saturday's game much better and took a 25-17 lead after one quarter.   They held the lead throughout the next two quarters, and it seemed like gaining a split in the two-game series was achievable.

With McMaster holding a 58-49 advantage heading to the fourth quarter, Lakehead was only able to trade baskets over the first eight minutes of the final stanza.  With 1:51 remaining, McMaster was in front 73-64 when the roof fell in on the Marauders.  The Wolves proceeded to outscore the Maroon 10-0 from that point on, capped by a three-point goal from Alex Robichaud that won the game with 5.5 seconds left. The Marauders had two final looks at a basket that would win the game or force overtime, but failed to score.

Playing without leading scorer Leon Alexander, McMaster got a solid 18-point effort from Rohan Boney, while Lazar Kojovic added 16 off the Mac bench.  Lakehead was led by Bacarius Dinkins and Henry Tan, who each scored 19, with Robichaud chipping in 16.

Losing back-to-back games for the first time this season, the Marauders fall to 9 and 4 in the OUA Central Division, where they are second to Brock.  With the two wins Lakehead goes over .500 at 6 and 5 and stands third in the OUA Central.

McMaster will now welcome a week without competition, which could be good timing for the Marauders, who need to  bounce back from a lost weekend in Thunder Bay,  and with top teams Ottawa and Carleton coming to Hamilton for games on February 12th and 13th.