The McMaster Marauders men's basketball suffered a narrow defeat to the Lakehead Thunderwolves at home on Friday evening, 84-83.

Jordan Henry led all players with 28 points on the night, shooting 9-of-17 from the floor and 4-of-7 from three-point range. Sefa Otchere was dominant on the boards in the team's home opener, grabbing six offensive rebounds – nine total – in 20 minutes of action.

The fourth quarter was the pivotal moment of the game, despite starting the period up nine points the Marauders found themselves within a point of the Thunderwolves. With five seconds remaining on the clock, the Marauders extended their 82-81 lead by an additional point after Henry knocked down a free-throw.

With possession in their own half, Thunderwolves winger Michael Okafor knocked down a crucial three-pointer to give Lakehead the lead with 1.4 seconds on the clock. After a Marauders timeout, Otchere inbounded the ball to Nathan Charles – Charles made the pass to Henry at the elbow, but with dying points of a second on the clock, he struggled to get up a shot as the game clock sounded.

Despite the loss, the Marauders shot a healthy 37.7% from the floor throughout the game, holding their opponents impressively to just 17.9% from the three-point range.

The two teams will meet again tomorrow evening for a rematch in their second of a back-to-back series, tip-off is scheduled for 8pm.