NANAIMO, B.C. – The Mohawk Mountaineers men's basketball team advanced to the CCAA National Championship semifinals with an 88-84 victory over the Keyano Huskies in a quarter-final matchup Wednesday afternoon.

Mohawk trailed 6-2 early but responded with a 6-0 run to take an 8-6 lead. The teams traded momentum throughout the opening quarter, with Keyano moving ahead 16-12 before the Mountaineers closed the frame on a run to lead 27-26.

In the second quarter, Mohawk extended its lead to 31-26, but Keyano answered to tie the game. A Paul Omofoma (Calgary, AB) layup and a Kazim Raza (Markham, Ont.) three-pointer restored a five-point advantage for the Mountaineers. The back-and-forth play continued, and the teams went into halftime tied 45-45.

Raza led Mohawk with 15 first-half points.

The Mountaineers overcame a cold offensive stretch in the third quarter by tightening up defensively to take a 63-61 lead into the fourth.

The teams continued to exchange leads in the final quarter. With Keyano ahead 70-69 and just over six minutes remaining, Dante Richards (Oakville, Ont.) hit a three-pointer to put Mohawk back in front. Tied 74-74 with just over four minutes to play, the Mountaineers put together a key three-point swing to regain the lead. Keyano cut the deficit to one, but Mohawk responded to secure the win.

Raza earned Mohawk's player-of-the-game honours with a game-high 25 points. Iverson Chong (Oakville, Ont.) scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. Marko Dosen (Hamilton, Ont.) added 11 points, while Jerry Jr. Mercury (Scarborough, Ont.) had 10.

Mohawk will face the Dynamiques de Brébeuf in the CCAA semi-final Thursday. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET.