The McMaster Marauders men's basketball team continued their six-game road trip in Kitchener, taking on the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks at the Kitchener Auditorium Wednesday afternoon.
In yet another strong performance in hostile territory, the Marauders came out with a second straight road win, defeating the Golden Hawks 75-71 and improving to 4-12 in OUA play.
Riding their new-found confidence after upsetting the Western Mustangs in London Saturday, the Marauders faced the Golden Hawks in their second and final matchup of the season series.
Laurier had won their first meeting of the season 79-64 less than two weeks ago at McMaster's Burridge Gym.
Miles Seward (Toronto, ON) led the Marauders in scoring for the day, finishing the game with 25 points, while adding eight rebounds and four assists.
The victory was a result of a balanced effort, however, as four of the Marauders starters finished the game with double-digit point performances.
Matt Quiring (Cambridge, ON) and
Kareem Collins (Hamilton, ON) both contributed 16 points of their own, while
David McCulloch (Hamilton, ON) added 11.
Laurier's Kemel Archer enjoyed a strong performance, despite his team's loss. He led Laurier in scoring for the game, racking up 23 points from 7-11 from the field. He was a force for the Golden Hawks inside the paint and drawing fouls, shooting 9-12 from the foul line.
McMaster pushed the tempo early, getting much of their starting five involved in the offence.
Despite being outperformed in turnovers, the Marauders were the ones making the most of their opportunities, scoring 12 points off of turnovers and 16. points on second chance opportunities.
The Marauders led for majority of the game, fending off brief bursts of momentum from the Golden Hawks.
In the fourth quarter, Laurier finally started to find their rhythm, as they made a late surge in a desperate attempt to cut into the Marauders lead.
The hosts tied things up at 69-69 following an Ali Sow layup in the closing minutes of the game.
Seward put the Marauders up 73-71 with 14 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, and the Golden Hawks wouldn't make much of their ensuing timeout, coughing up an inbounds play and allowing the Marauders to quickly move the ball up court in transition.
The Golden Hawks were forced to foul, letting Kareem Collins and Miles Seward both hit foul shots and the clock run out on Laurier's chances for a comeback.
UP NEXT: The Marauders will be back in action on Saturday, January 27 when they travel to Guelph to take on the Gryphons. The Marauders defeated the Gryphons in their home and season opener 84-79. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Marauders games can be streamed live on OUA.tv.
