With fans on the edge of their seats, the Brock Badgers fought back against a double-digit deficit to best the McMaster Marauders at the Meridian Centre.
The home court advantage played a large role for the Badgers men's basketball team as the roar of the Brock faithful helped lead the home side to a 74-60 win against the Marauders at the Paint the Meridian game on Friday, Jan. 17.
For Anthony Heyes, a second-year guard from St. Catharines, the night marked a special opportunity to play in front of close friends and family at the landmark downtown arena.
"It means everything to have their support," he said. "For them to come out and cheer me on, it's a great feeling."
Brock was led by balanced scoring as Davanté Hackett had 18 while Thierry Tshibola and Michael Matas were also in double-digits, scoring 14 and 13, respectively.
The first quarter went the way of the visitors as they outscored the Badgers 24-9, which was highlighted by their 56.3 field goal percentage.
Despite tying the Marauders in points with 19 in the second quarter, the Badgers remained down 43-28 after a slow start in the previous frame.
A 12-2 run to start the third quarter helped give the Badgers some much-needed momentum. Holding McMaster to zero points from the three-point line and just 26.7 per cent from the field, Brock's defensive increased as they outscored their opponents 27-9 to take a 55-52 lead.
Heyes noted the impact the fans had on their comeback efforts.
"The crowd was vital," he said. "Obviously, we didn't start the game the strongest, but we started ramping it up, and they brought a lot of energy to make that comeback happen."
Anthony Heyes celebrating a play at Paint the Meridian Red.
The Badgers used a 19-8 run in the fourth quarter to finish with a comfortable advantage. In the final frame, the Marauders went stone cold due to more stingy Badgers' defence as they only managed 20 per cent from the field.
A key to the Badgers' success on this night was their three-point shooting as they went 10-for-24 for 41.7 per cent from beyond the arc.
During the game, it was announced that $2,175 was raised from tickets sold to the Brock University Students' Union (BUSU) Food First Program, a resource for students aimed to address the growing issues of food and health insecurity among Canadian post-secondary students.
The Badgers now improve to 4-3 in the Paint the Meridian Red event, avenging their loss to the Marauders last year.
Looking ahead, the Badgers welcome the visiting Toronto Varsity Blues at Bob Davis Gymnasium on Sunday, Jan. 19 with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m. Brock is looking to reverse the 94-83 loss they suffered to this Varsity Blues side on Jan. 6, 2024. Tickets can be purchased on University Tickets, and the game can also be seen on OUA TV.
