Box Score HAMILTON, Ont. – The men's basketball team edged a tight 84-79 win over the McMaster Marauders on Saturday afternoon. The win will bring the Mustangs to a 12-4 record with the Marauders sitting at 9-5.
 
Jordan Henry put three points on the board to open up the game for the Marauders. With less than five minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Mustangs were up 17-11, and wth two free throws, Eriq Jenkins brought the Mustangs to 21 points with the Marauders sitting behind at 16. However, it wouldn't take long for McMaster to come back. A stolen possession allowed Jordan Henry to send the ball down the court to Damiann Prehay who, undefended, shot a buzzer-beating basket that would put the Marauders in the lead at 22-21.
 
McMaster would maintain their lead well into the second quarter. Julian Walker added two points to the Mustangs' total after fighting through the dense Marauder defense, assisting in bringing the Purple and White to 30 points with less than five minutes remaining. Ukasha Khan put an end to the tied match – with a three-pointer from the corner of the court, the Mustangs would put themselves back in the lead. With one minute remaining, two free throws from Maliek Gordon would put the Marauders back in the lead by two to close the half at 39-37.
 
The third quarter proved to have the same pace as the first two. Marauder guard Tristan Lindo had a run down the court that led to an exciting dunk to the crowd's enjoyment. A pass from Tennant to Shiddo allowed for both a free throw and an undefended basket, and with an additional layup, Shiddo helped put the Purple and White back in the game one-point shy of the competition. With less than two minutes in the quarter, Jordan Henry refused to let up. While the guard put up basket after basket to bring the Marauders to 61 points, Shiddo managed to retaliate with a last-second three-pointer and push the 'Stangs ahead to 62.
 
Falling just short of the rim, Ukasha Khan tipped in a shot from Julian Walker to offer the Mustangs a 5-point lead in the last quarter of the game. With just under five minutes to go, the margin sat at 7 points as Henry stepped up to the line for a foul shot. The Mustangs' lead spiked to 8 points, and with 90 seconds left in the match, they would have to keep it together if they wanted to retain the victory. The game would end with one final three-pointer from Henry bringing the Marauders to 79 with the Mustangs steadfast at 84.
 
The men will return to the court on Wednesday, January 22^nd, at home in Alumni Hall. The game against the Guelph Gryphons is scheduled to begin at 8:00 P.M EST.