It was a thriller in London, Ont. this afternoon as the McMaster Marauders women's basketball suffered a hard-fought loss to the top-seeded Western Mustangs 64-63 on the road today for their quarterfinal match of the Critelli Cup playoffs.
 
After going down as much as five points heading into halftime, the Marauders outpaced the home team in the second, outscoring them 18-16 in the third, and 16-14 in the fourth.
 
Olivia Wilson could not be contained in the final frame, going 4-7 in the fourth, accounting for half of the Marauders points in the period. 
 
Following Wilson's fourth made jumper, the Mustangs knocked down two free-throws to keep their lead at two points with the score at 64-62. 
 
Marauders guard Sarah Gates chipped the deficit away to one point after going 1-for-2 at the charity stripe. With 25 seconds left, Gates picked up a vital rebound as possession switched sides. Clock winding down, the Mustangs clogged the paint and pulled off a steal as regulation time expired.
 
Christina Buttenham led the Marauders with 18 points, seven rebounds and three steals, while Gates and Wilson both went for 16 points each.
 
The Marauders end a strong season that included three victories over ranked opponents, going 8-2 over their final 10 games to close out the regular season.
 
With two graduating players in Buttenham, and Julia Hanaka, the future looks bright for the returning squad that will build on this seasons campaign.