By: Jarrett Matthews
Student Journalist

An offensive outburst by the Mountaineers men's basketball team led to a 103-95 victory over the Canadian Mennonite University Blazers.

At the end of the first half, the game was tied 50-50 with both teams shooting 47 per cent or better from the field.

Mohawk took the lead with under four minutes to go in the fourth quarter and closed the door from there.

"We had a few opportunities where guys were driving and attacking that led to easy buckets," said head coach Brian Jonker. "Good shots are really important down the stretch in a close game."

It was a full team effort from Mohawk in a back-and-forth game with 13 lead changes. The Mountaineers recorded 31 points off the bench.

"We were forced to get so many people involved," Jonker said. "We had a couple guys foul out, we had a couple guys get hurt so a lot of people got to contribute tonight. I think that was important for us, and as coaches we got to see quality minutes from a lot of different guys in different situations, so that helps us going forward."

Daniel Graham led the way for the Mountaineers with a career-high 39 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals, while shooting nearly 60 per cent from the field.

Jonker was impressed by the composure from his second-year guard.

"We made some shots tonight," Jonker said. "And it didn't hurt that Daniel was under control all night. With his speed he's a tough matchup when he's on and tonight he was definitely on."

Notably, Mohawk scored 52 of their points in the paint and 33 came from beyond the arc.

Michael Barry scored 19 points off the bench for the Mountaineers, while going a perfect 3-for-3 from three. Rommel Calura added 17 points, 6 rebounds and five assists.

The men's basketball team will play their next preseason game on Nov. 17 on the road against the Humber Hawks at 8 p.m.