Friday's game was in the balance for much of the first half, but once the Marauders got hold of the lead late in the second quarter, they never looked back.

Mac scored the final six points of the opening half at Burridge Gym, and never relinquished the lead from there, ultimately coasting to an 81-64 win over the Brock Badgers in the penultimate game of its fall calendar.

The Marauders improved to 7-2 with the win, and took possession of first place in the OUA Central division in the process.

Second-year guard Jordan Henry led the home side with 22 points, and finished the night seven of 19 from the field and three of seven from three-point range, while chipping in nine assists and seven rebounds to narrowly miss a double double.

Connor Gilmore did achieve the double double, with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Tristan Lindo also eclipsed the double digit mark in points with 15.

There were six lead changes through the opening quarter and change, as neither team was able to put together the sort of run that could truly grab hold of momentum.

But that changed in the late stages of the second, as a pair of and-one buckets in the final minute of the half pulled McMaster ahead 37-31 at the break, with Henry and Lindo the beneficiaries.

Mac dutifully guarded the lead from there, with Brock's best look at levelling the game coming at 6:59 of the third quarter, when Tyler Brown drained a layup to pull the Badgers within four at 47-43. The Marauders responded with a 9-0 run, effectively snuffing out any hopes of a rally in the third.

In a final quarter largely devoid of stress, McMaster's only worries came when an Aaron Goldbourne layup brought Brock within seven at 69-62 with 4:26 to play. But, yet again, the Marauders had an answer, and reeled off the next six points to rebuild the lead to 13 with 1:31 to play.

It was smooth sailing from there, and Damiann Prehay put a fitting cap on an impressive night by canning a triple with 35 seconds to play for the game's final points.

NEXT UP: McMaster brings the fall portion of its calendar to an end on Saturday with a trip to Toronto, where the Marauders will visit the Varsity Blues at the Goldring Centre for an 8:00 p.m. tipoff.