A neck-and-neck affair from start to finish, the No. 8 McMaster Marauders fell to the visiting Western Mustangs 84-79 on Saturday afternoon at the Burridge Gym.
 
With only a point separating the two sides between the first two quarters, very little could differentiate the two teams outside of the Marauders defence. The home team held the Mustangs to just 38.5% shooting from field-goal range, and 14.3% from behind the arc in the second quarter alone.
 
That story line would flip going into the second half. Marauders forward Mike Demagus was an offensive nightmare during the third quarter, going 5-7 from the floor dropping 11 points in the frame. But Mustangs guard Omar Shiddo would match him, connecting on 4-6 from deep for 15 of his game-high 35 points.
 
An 11-3 run midway through the fourth quarter gave the Mustangs the distance they needed, shooting 5-5 in the stretch to push the score to 80-69. A pair of free-throws from Kwasi Adu-Poku, and a crucial three-pointer from Jordan Henry brought the Marauders within five, but the Mustangs ultimately slipped away.
 
The Marauders now fall to 9-5 on the season, still holding second-place in the OUA Central division, while the Mustangs retain sole possession of first in the OUA West with a 12-4 record.
 
NEXT UP: The Marauders will continue their home stand at the Burridge Gym next week, as they take on the Queen's Gaels and Ontario Tech Ridgebacks.