HAMILTON, Ont. – In a battle of nationally ranked programs, the No. 14 Mohawk Mountaineers outlasted the No. 10 St. Clair Saints 87-80 on Friday night.

The back-and-forth contest featured 21 lead changes and eight ties before the Mountaineers took the final lead with 4:53 remaining to secure the victory.

Mohawk opened the game strong, jumping ahead 10-4 and holding a narrow edge for much of the first quarter. St. Clair surged late in the frame to take a 21-20 lead after one.

The Mountaineers responded with a 9-2 run to start the second quarter, building a 29-23 advantage within the opening three minutes. The Saints battled back to reclaim the lead with under three minutes to play in the half, but Mohawk closed on a high note to lead 43-41 at the break.

The third quarter continued the back-and-forth trend, featuring 13 lead changes before St. Clair pulled ahead 69-66 entering the fourth.

With the score tied 69-69 early in the final frame, the Saints briefly went ahead on a three-pointer, but Mohawk regained control two minutes later. After St. Clair hit a jumper to reclaim the lead, Jailen Jackson (Hamilton, Ont.) responded with a layup and Kazim Raza (Markham, Ont.) followed with a mid-range jumper to put the Mountaineers up 77-74. The Saints cut the deficit to one but couldn't close the gap as Mohawk pulled away down the stretch.

Despite St. Clair shooting a more efficient 48.4 per cent from the field compared to Mohawk's 40.5, the Mountaineers held key advantages in points off turnovers (plus-12) and second-chance points (plus-eight).

Marko Dosen led the way for Mohawk with 28 points and 15 rebounds, falling one-point shy of tying his career high. Scott Jenkins added 12 points in the win.

The Mountaineers return to action Saturday afternoon when they host the Lambton Lions at 3 p.m.