Continuing to tear through divisional rivals as the OUA season rapidly nears its end, the Marauders added another important win to their tally at the expense of the Waterloo Warriors Wednesday.
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McMaster led early and often, beating Waterloo 108-90 to record their third straight win and improve to 7-14 in OUA play.
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With the win, the Marauders passed the Warriors to take over fifth position in the OUA West standings, further solidifying their hold on a playoff position with three games remaining in their conference schedule.
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The guard duo of Kareem Collins (Hamilton, ON) and Miles Seward (Toronto, ON) put their shooting prowess on display, leading the Marauders in scoring for the night.
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Collins had himself an impressive first half of play, scoring all of his 22 points for the night in the opening 20 minutes. He shot 62 per cent from the field, while adding seven rebounds and three assists.
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Marauders leading scorer Seward entered the game averaging 20.1 points per game and only improved on that mark, scoring 26 in his team's victory. The Marauders guard shot 60 per cent from the field while going 4-7 from beyond the arc.
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Despite his team's loss, Nedim Hodzic registered himself a double-double, scoring 32 points and 12 rebounds, while shooting 55 (11-20) per cent from the field. Teammate Justin Hardy finished with 22 points of his own.
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In the first quarter, the Marauders got out to an early lead while also putting the Warriors into foul trouble, entering the bonus with 3:31 to play. The quarter closed with Mac ahead 33-19 and things would not get much better for the Warriors from there.
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The Marauders were quick to haul down rebounds on both ends of the court, out rebounding the Warriors 52 to 39.
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As the game reached halftime, the Marauders extended their lead to 61-39, leaning on the shooting performances of Collins and Seward.
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McMaster exploited the Warriors 1-3-1 defensive setup, swinging the ball around the perimeter faster than Waterloo could shift and eventually finding open shots.
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The fourth quarter was the only period in which the Warriors outscored the Marauders, but by then the damage was already done.
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UP NEXT: The Marauders will be back in action on Saturday, February 10 against the Western Mustangs. The Mustangs have a 13-7 record but lost their previous meeting with the Marauders earlier in the season 90-76. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
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All Marauders games can be streamed on OUA.tv.
