LONDON, Ont - Despite pulling things to within three points late in the fourth, a late push from the Mustangs came up just short, losing 83-77 to McMaster in OUA men's basketball action on Wednesday night at Alumni Hall.
 
"We didn't play great from a focus standpoint in the first half. We got it a little bit together in the second half and gave ourselves a chance to win it," said Mustangs head coach Brad Campbell. "Offensively, we started to make some shots and get some things going. I think we got a little momentum, our confidence started to grow from making those shots, and we really fought hard to try and win that game."
 
McMaster snapped the Mustangs three-game winning streak, moving Western's record to 4-3, good for a three-way tie for first place in the OUA West with Windsor and Laurier. While the Marauders broke the Mustangs string of consecutive victories, Wednesday night's win was McMaster's fifth 'W' in a row, keeping the CIS' fourth-ranked team in first place in the OUA Central Division standings.
 
Both teams had strong offensive performances, with Marauder player Joe Rocca scoring a game-high 17 points and six other players joined Rocca in scoring double digits. The Mustangs followed close behind with five players hitting the double digit numbers as Anthony Spiridis topped the team with 16 points, eight of which were in the fourth quarter. Captain Quinn Henderson followed close behind with 14 points, while also adding four steals to provide help on the defensive end as well.
 
Lots of squeaks were heard on the court with both teams shuffling and playing at a fast pace to begin the contest. The Marauders were able to get deep in the key and sink their layups with little  Mustang defence to stop them early on while on the other end of the court the purple and white found themselves unable to finish the baskets from the perimeter. The Marauders took advantage of these bounces off the board to grab 18 rebounds in the first quarter, helping them to take an 18-9 lead after the opening frame.
 
The second quarter saw the Marauders warming up to the arc, focusing on their three-point shots and attempting eight more long distance attempts than in the first. Mustang veteran Quinn Henderson answered back with three three-point shots of his own, also contributing three steals and two turnovers for his team's defence.
 
However, it seemed that the Marauders height advantage made an inch of difference by the net as they were able to grab rebounds by their fingertips over the high jumps of Morrow and the like. Despite both sides remaining relatively even on the scoreboard in the second, the Marauders finished the first half with a 10-point lead at 38-28.
 
The Mustangs momentum grew after they got back on the court from halftime. Jedson Tavernier came to play in the second half scoring an early three-pointer and grabbing rebounds to help the Mustangs claw their way back throughout the final 20 minutes of play.

McMaster caught on to the heightened Mustang offence and fought harder against the home team, beginning a full-court press and challenging them outside the. When their offence was in action, the Marauders were able to spot narrow spaces to pass the ball to an awaiting teammate in the paint ready to follow through. While Western took the third quarter 19-18, the Marauders opening quarter advantage remained, giving the visiting side a 56-47 lead heading into the final frame.
 
The Mustangs defence continued to improve in the fourth quarter, grabbing the rebounds that would have slipped out of their hands in the first. Anthony Spiridis played strong from start to finish in the quarter, making an early steal to start an and-one play for Morrow and racking up eight points in the quarter, all while rocking a very spirited Movember stache.
 
With the combined defense of Spiridis, Morrow and Tom Filgiano, the home side continued to close the cap, pulling within three at 71-68 after a layup from Filgiano with 2:37 remaining. The tension rose as the Mustangs raced against the clock as they attempted to tie things up, however the Marauders were able to match Western nearly basket for basket heading down the stretch. Despite staying within the five point range within the last minute, the Marauders held on to walk away with an 83-77 victory.
 
Western will now get set to take on the Brock Badgers this weekend, when the welcome the OUA Central's second place team in what should be an exciting contest.
 
"They're a high-scoring team and like to play in high scoring games," said Campbell. "We've got to get back to defensively doing what we do, try to keep the score down and specifically get ready for Brock and do what we can to prepare for them."
 
Tip-off for Saturday's game against Brock is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Alumni Hall, and can be watched live on OUA.tv.