Box Score The McMaster women's basketball team finished OUA conference play in impressive fashion, defeating the Western Mustangs 92-40 on Saturday afternoon in London.  Mac ends up at 17-2 in league play.
 
The Marauders got off to a slow start at Western, as the Mustangs led 9-3 early on, but Mac finished the quarter on an incredible 19-0 run to grab a 22-9 lead after 10 minutes.
 
McMaster continued rolling in the second quarter, going on a 11-2 run early on to increase the lead to 20, with just over six minutes remaining in the quarter. Danielle Boiago was solid in the second, scoring ten points in the quarter, to help give Mac a 48-20 lead going into halftime.
 
McMaster forced 19 first-half turnovers leading to 25 points, whereas the Mustangs failed to convert on any of the Marauders' four first-half turnovers.
 
The Mustangs picked up their defence in the third quarter, but Mac continued their strong play and went basket-for-basket with Western,  finishing the quarter up 63-32 with ten minutes left to play.
 
The Maroon saved their best play for the fourth quarter, when it seemed like they couldn't miss a shot. Their defence was the best it had been all game, holding Western to just eight points, while scoring 29 of their own to finish the 52-point victory.
 
Boiago led the way for Mac, finishing just shy of a triple-double, scoring 23 points, grabbing seven boards, and coming away with eight steals, in an impressive well-rounded game.  The 5th-year veteran completes her OUA career with 1,719 points, which ranks her first in Mac history, and third all-time in the OUA record book.
 
Vanessa Pickard had a strong game off of the bench for Mac scoring 15 points, while Olivia Wilson added 13 and Rachael Holmes chipped in 10.
 
The Marauder bench was a key factor as they outscored the Mustangs' bench 38-6. Mac also shot a solid 44 per cent from the field and held Western to just 32 per cent.
 
Having secured a top four position in the OUA, McMaster will enjoy a first-round playoff bye and  will host an opponent to be determined in the quarter-finals on Saturday, Feb. 25^th.   Check marauders.ca for information on upcoming playoff action.
 
By Jonah Tuck