The McMaster Marauders men's basketball team suffered a loss on the road 87-82 to the Laurier Golden Hawks on Wednesday evening.
It was a narrow loss for the Marauders who held the lead for most of the game, as the Golden Hawks mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter.
With 2:58 left in the third quarter, the Marauders held their largest lead in the game going up 63-50 after a
Mike Demagus three-pointer.
Opening up the final quarter up 69-57 following a
Sefa Otchere layup, and a
Christian Bentley free-throw with 7:50 on the clock, the Marauders fell to a scoring draught through much of the frame.
The Golden Hawks went on a 16-0 scoring run that was finally broken by a difficult Demgaus Fastbreak point. Much of the game was back-and-forth as the quarter winded down, highlighted by a pair of Otchere three-pointers late in the quarter to keep the Marauders hopes alive, as the score extended to 85-80 with 42 seconds left.
Out of the timeout,
Jordan Henry navigated the paint to put in a layup – two of his team high 25 points – in due part to a
Jonathan Kitenge steal, but it would prove to be not enough as the Golden Hawks iced the game with a pair of free throws down the stretch.
Henry led the team with 25 points and six assists, shooting 9-of-19 field goals and going a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Otchere and Demagus both poured in 15 points apiece, with Otchere grabbing nine boards, and Demagus active on the defensive end with three steals. As a team, the Marauders shot 41.6% from field-goal range, but struggled from deep shooting 14.7% going 5-of-34.
For the Golden Hawks, the pair of Ali Sow and Romello Taylor combined for 55 of the Golden Hawks 87 points, scoring 31 of the teams 32 points in the final quarter.
With the loss, the Marauders fall to 10-5 on the season and are now tied with the Golden Hawks on record at 10-5. With the second seed on the line in the OUA West, the two teams meet again for the final game of the regular season on Saturday with playoff complications on the line. Tip-off is scheduled for 2pm.
