In a tightly contest battle, the McMaster Marauders women's basketball team fell to the Waterloo Warriors at home, 72-69, on Friday night.
 
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Marauders were up 58-54, a lead they held for much of the game as the Warriors kept the score tight down the stretch. Pushing to find separation in the final frame, Deanna Mataseje knocked down a three-pointer with 4:30 left on the clock to give the Marauders a 66-61 lead. But the Warriors would not be going away, eventually tying the score at 69-69 with 29 seconds on the clock off of a Maddy Adams jumper – Adams led all scorers with 20 points on the day.
 
With the ball in the Marauders possession, the team was able to put up a three-point shot that did not go through. Controlling the rebound on offense, the Warriors were able to force a turnover and grab a steal as the clock winded down. A quick outlet on the fast break lead to a layup with a foul with a second left on the clock, sealing the game.
 
Amy Stinson and Jenna Button carried most of the offensive load for the Marauders, dropping 15 and 12 points respectively. Stinson was also active on the defensive end picking up six rebounds and four steals, while Button also showed her defensive tenacity with three steals of her own.
 
Off the bench, Delaney Bourget as an efficient 4-of-5 from the floor, dropping 10 points in the game. As a team the Marauders shot 40.6% from the floor, as well as going 8-for-14 from the free-throw line.
 
Looking to get back to winning ways after falling on the road on Wednesday, the Marauders opened the first quarter with energy going up 4-0 early behind a Jenna Button layup and a Clare Sharkey bank shot from the paint.
 
A back-and-forth affair ensued as the Marauders found separation eight minutes into the opening frame with a Mia Spadafora three-point shot – Spadafora led the Marauders with five assists on the night to go with seven points, and five rebounds.
 
The Marauders shot 3-5 from three-point range in the first quarter, leading for much of the frame closing it out up 20-14.
 
Very little could separate the two sides in the second quarter, as both teams exchanged baskets for much of the 10 minutes, as the Marauders extended their lead to eight heading into the halftime break up 38-30.
 
With the loss the Marauders fall to 8-6 while the Warriors move up to 7-5. The Warriors pick-up the tiebreaker over the Marauders after sweeping their season series as both sides fight for the fourth-seed and first-round playoff hosting rights in the OUA West Division.
 
The Marauders now look ahead to next week as they hit the road to take on the Laurier Golden Hawks next Wednesday. Tip-off is sched