It was a tale of two halves for the McMaster Marauders women's basketball team on Saturday night, falling to the York Lions 91-84 in overtime on the road at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
 
Going to the fourth quarter, it was a back-and-forth affair for much of the frame. The Marauders were in the midsts of battling for the win after having an eight point lead cut short by the Lions. Christina Buttenham was solid for the visiting team, knocking down seven of her squads 12 points down the stretch.
 
With 36 seconds left in regulation, down 76-75, the Marauders found themselves heading to the charity stripe to take the lead after second-year guard Arianne Soriano was fouled on a rebounded three-point shot. Sinking both free-throws cool and collectively, the Marauders led until the Lions were granted the same fortune with a foul in their favour.
 
Lions guard Katrina Collins-Samuels split both free-throws at the line, inevitably sending the game into overtime.
 
Julia Hanaka looked as poised as ever, knocking down a pair of three-pointers to give McMaster a six-point lead two minutes into the extra frame. The Lions responded swiftly however, with a pair of three-pointers of their own, and never looked back, ending the game on a 7-0 run.
 
To start the match, the Marauders opened the first half strong, suffocating the Lions on the defensive end, holding the home team to just 22.2% field goal shooting, forcing 16 turnovers in the half compared to their 11. Jenna Button shone bright for the Maroon, going 4-5 from the floor in 15 minutes of early action leading all scorers with 11 points at half.
 
Coming out of the break, the Lions needed to hit shots in a hurry to have an impact on the game, and that they did. Opening the third with back-to-back three-pointers, Lions forward Lauren Golding led her teams drive with 15 points in the third quarter alone, highlighting the home teams run.
 
The Marauders responded through Sarah Gates who also had an impressive second half, dropping 18 points, on 7-of-12 shooting, but her efforts ultimately fell short.
 
After falling in their opening two games of the new year, the Marauders are now 6-6 on the season, placing them fourth in the OUA Central division.
 
NEXT UP: The Marauders return to the Burridge Gym for a four-game homestand, starting with the Windsor Lancers on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6pm.