Marauders take the battle of Hamilton
The battle for men’s basketball supremacy in Hamilton wasn’t a pretty one. The Tuesday night crowd at Burridge Gym endured a game full of turnovers, missed shots, and dropped rebounds but none the less, the McMaster Marauders defeated the Mohawk Mountaineers.
The defending Canadian College Athletics Association champions came to Mac in search of bragging rights for the best squad in Hamilton but the young Marauders squad gave the Mountaineers more than they could handle, winning 87-51.
In the first quarter, the preseason game felt very much that. It took multiple possessions from either side to draw first blood and nearly the entire period to establish any real offense. McMaster looked to run early, pushing the ball up-court and attempting to get quick inside looks. While successful at first, Mac struggled to get back on defense giving up fast break points to a fast Mountaineer team. The quarter finished with a 17-14 Marauder lead, a lead Mac would hold for the rest of the game.
The second quarter saw a defensive stand by the Maroon and Grey, forcing Mohawk into multiple turnovers and destroying any rhythm to their offense. The turnovers gave the fast break offense of McMaster new life, allowing excellent guard play to take over and create a larger separation between the Hamilton teams. Going into the half, McMaster held a 29-20 edge in rebounding despite giving up a height mismatch in nearly every position on the court. 2011-2012 CIS Rookie of the Year Adam Presutti led the team to a 34-22 advantage with six points and six assists.
The third quarter saw McMaster pull away from their opponents, again behind a strong defensive effort early in the period. Mac had a 10-0 run over in the first minutes, with Presutti carving up the defense to contribute seven of those points. The Mohawk coaching staff called a timeout to stop the bleeding halfway through the third, but to no avail, with the quarter ending on an even larger lead for Mac, 61-36.
The fourth quarter saw McMaster use many bench players and the choppy play would continue. Mac’s bench performed well against the defending college champs, and their efforts further bolstered the Maroon and Grey lead. The game finished with a surprising difference of 36 points.
The Marauders have more pre-season action over the weekend, with two teams from the Atlantic University Sport conference visiting McMaster. On Friday, the men will take on St. Francis Xavier University, with a 7 p.m. tip-off followed by a Sunday matinee match-up against Cape Breton University, tipping off at 1 p.m.
