Roaring out of the gates with an 11-2 run and boasting a 13-point advantage at halftime, the Marauders had all of the building blocks in place for a statement win at home Wednesday.

But, when their own offence cooled and the Brock Badgers came to life in the second half, that dream quickly faded.

McMaster was outscored by 18 points in the second half to fall 91-86 to Brock at Burridge Gym.

The result dropped the Marauders to 9-10 on the season, as they remain unmoved in fourth place in the OUA West division.

Veteran guard David McCulloch led Mac with 23 points in a losing effort, hitting eight of 18 attempts from the field and an impressive five of 10 from three-point range.

Jordan Henry notched his second double double of the season, with 16 points and 13 assists, while adding four steals.

It was a dream start for McMaster on Wednesday, with Connor Gilmore scoring the first seven points of the game and the Marauders as a group racing out on an 11-2 run and chasing the Badgers to an early timeout in the first quarter.

Showing no sign of relenting, the Marauders enjoyed a nine-point lead after a quarter, and continued to build on it slowly as the second wore on, with McCulloch finding his range en route to three buckets and two triples in the frame.

With momentum clearly on their side, the hosts eased into the halftime break with a 48-35 lead after Gilmore dispatched a Henry dime from close range.

Early signs in the wake of the break were good, with Mac hitting the first two buckets of the third quarter to swell the lead to 18. But that marked the high water mark for the Marauders, and the Badgers responded by ripping off a 22-5 run from a 57-41 deficit, momentarily reclaiming the lead before the quarter's end.

Despite a Sefa Otchere triple to stem the tide at the buzzer, the cushion and the confidence of the first half was gone, and Mac boasted just a two-point lead at 67-65.

Trading buckets through much of the fourth quarter, the Badgers grabbed final control of the contest when Cassidy Ryan followed a layup in transition with a triple on Brock's next possession to swell his team's lead to seven with under four minutes to play.

From there, the hosts were forced to chase, and could not wrestle the game back within a possession.

NEXT UP: McMaster will look for the bounce back against the Western Mustangs, welcoming them to Burridge Gym on Saturday, February 2 at 3:00 p.m. That game will be webcast live on OUA.tv.