The McMaster Marauders women's basketball team is moving on after defeating the Waterloo Warriors 63-45 in the first round of the OUA playoffs.
 
Fourth year point-guard Sarah Gates led the game with 23 points, including a trio of threes, for McMaster, guiding her team to the victory in Waterloo. Gates three-point action was mirrored by Mia Spadafora, who put away 3-of-6 from behind the three-point line.
 
In the Marauders end, experienced forward Clare Sharkey was ready at the basket, grabbing seven defensive rebounds for her team to go along with a career high five blocks - the five blocks ties a program record originally set by Chiara Rocca during the 2005-06 season.
 
McMaster came out to start the game strong, but the Warriors took a quick lead in the first quarter. Finding themselves down 11-5, the Marauders quickly turned things around, going on a 13-0 point-streak, and taking an 18-13 lead to end the quarter.
 
The Marauders kept their passion alive in the second quarter and held onto their lead. Putting 11 points on the board, McMaster increased their winning margin to seven, hitting halftime at 29-22.
 
With fresh legs after the break, the Marauders came back to the court with even more pressure than they started with. Team veteran's Gates and Spadafora put away a series of back-to-back three-pointers early in the third quarter to spark a scoring frenzy for the Marauders. The maroon then went on their second 13-0 streak of the game, bringing their tally to 42 before the Warriors could find the mesh again. The Marauders prepared themselves to enter the final quarter with a 50-33 lead.
 
With the last 10 minutes of their season potentially in front of them, the Warriors came back strong, grabbing the initial three points of the fourth quarter. Spadafora scored McMaster's first basket of the quarter, finding the net from behind the three-point line once again. The Marauders continued to pressure the Warriors, keeping them at bay, and adding 13 points to their total. Although the Warriors did put away 11 points, it wouldn't be enough to close the gap, and McMaster took the game 63-45.
 
The Marauders will be advancing and are scheduled to face the Brock Badgers on Saturday in the OUA semifinals.