WELLAND, Ont. – The Mohawk Mountaineers men's basketball team dropped its fourth game in six outings on Wednesday night, falling 88-79 to the Niagara Knights.

Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm early, with Niagara holding a slim 8-7 lead with under four minutes remaining in the first quarter. Mohawk shot just 15 per cent from the field in the opening frame, managing only three field goals, and trailed 16-15 at the end of the period.

Offence picked up slightly in the second quarter, but the game remained tight. The Mountaineers briefly took a 17-16 lead one minute into the frame, but were unable to sustain it and went into halftime trailing by one.

Mohawk again moved in front early in the third, but Niagara responded with a 9-0 run to build a 49-41 advantage. The Mountaineers cut the deficit to one with 4:25 left in the quarter, but could not close the gap again.

The Mountaineers were unable to get key defensive stops down the stretch, allowing the Knights to shoot 46.7 per cent from the field. Mohawk won the battle in rebounds, points off turnovers, second-chance points and points in the paint, but Niagara's edge from three-point range — three more makes — proved to be the difference.

Kazim Raza led Mohawk with 14 points, while Paul Omofoma added 11 points and six rebounds. As a team, the Mountaineers shot 4-of-33 from beyond the arc and missed 11 free throws.

Mohawk returns home on Jan. 24 to host the Canadore Panthers at 8 p.m.