They made things difficult on themselves in midweek, but the Marauders took care of business Saturday to ultimately earn a home playoff game at Burridge Gym.

McMaster bounced back from a heartbreaking loss to the Guelph Gryphons on Wednesday to notch a hard-fought 88-87 win over the Western Mustangs in London and conclude the OUA season with a 11-13.

The Brock Badgers subsequent victory over the Lakehead Thunderwolves left the Marauders in a tie with the Gryphons for the fourth position in the OUA West division, which the Marauders win on the basis of point differential in the teams' two meetings this season, which they split.

When the dust settled, McMaster was the fourth seed in the OUA West, earning the final home playoff berth in the division and the right to earn some revenge over the fifth-seeded Gryphons at Burridge Gym.

That playoff encounter falls Wednesday, February 20 at 7:00 p.m.

Paving the way to the playoffs was a dramatic victory on the road, where the Marauders rode a few clutch trips to the free throw line late in the fourth quarter to a one-point win over the OUA West's second seed from Western.

Veteran forward Connor Gilmore led the way for McMaster with 23 points, hitting eight of 16 attempts from the field and crucially making good on five of six trips to the free throw line.

David McCulloch followed close behind with 18 points, while Jordan Henry had 12 and Matt Quiring 10 in the win. Unblemished from the field, Quiring made all five shots he attempted Saturday.

Enjoying one of their best shooting performances of the season, the Marauders hit 31 of 52 attempts from the field as a unit (60 per cent), and were six of 16 from beyond the arc.

McMaster built a commanding 13-point lead through a quarter, before watching Western work back into the contest over the next two, and grab hold of the lead just as the third frame was drawing to an end.

Threatening to run away late, the Marauders built a seven-point lead after a pair of made free throws by McCulloch with just over four minutes to play. But the Mustangs reeled the game in once again, and after a pair of misses at the line from the Marauders, the hosts had a final chance.

They ran out of time, however, with mere seconds to play, and McMaster carried off the hard-won victory.

NEXT UP: McMaster plays host to the Guelph Gryphons at Burridge Gym in an OUA first round playoff on Wednesday, February 20. That game will tip off at 7:00 p.m. and be broadcast live on TSN 1150 radio and OUA.tv.