BRAMPTON, Ont. - For 30 of the 40 minutes it was a tight, back-and-forth battle with neither team able to take command of the contest. But eventually the relentless pace of the Sheridan Bruins men's basketball team (5-2) combined with a new found willingness to compete on the glass allowed them to pull away from Niagara (5-3) and pick up a 92-73 victory on Tuesday.

"Niagara shoots the ball very well and they'll be a force to be reckoned with come March," head coach Jim Flack said. "It took all we had to pull away in the end, the score isn't indicative of the game at all. We need more consistent performances from our more experienced guys."

The story of the first half was Niagara's ability to hit from three-point territory -- more than half of their points came on seven of 15 shooting from deep -- and the inability of the double-blue to hit free throws -- converting on six of 13 attempts.

Still the game was close with five ties, five lead changes and Niagara holding the largest lead at eight points. Sheridan was able to take a slim 41-40 lead into halftime after closing the frame on a 9-2 run.

The second half started out much the same way with nine lead changes and five ties in the first ten minutes.

Another 9-2 Bruin run, capped by a three-pointer from Cory Cooper, turned a four-point edge into an 11-point one and helped to seal up the victory.

The Bruins closed the game on a 15-2 run that made the final score look much more lopsided than the actual contest was.

Khalid Abdel-Gabar (22 points and nine rebounds), Greg Osawe (22 points and 11 rebounds) and Michael Selkridge (17 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks) all scored in double figures for the double-blue.

Lamar Grant had a consistent night for Niagara, scoring eight points in each half for a team-high 16. Rashad Morley and Elvis Momat contributed 10 points each in a losing effort.

The club has just two more games remaining before a break for exams, but they'll both be on the road (at St. Clair on December 3 and at Lambton on December 4) in a span of less than 24 hours.

Flack says that it's an important time for the team and the next two games could help set the tone for the playoff drive in the new year.

"We're to a point where we can't be playing 13 and 14 guys a night, we have to shorten the bench a little bit and go with nine to 11 on any given night," he said. "Everybody's got to be in this together or we'll come apart."

Blue notes: While they have struggled to rebound effectively for stretches during the season the Bruins held a considerable advantage in that area, out-rebounding Niagara 59-40.

Source: Sheridan I.T. with files from OCAA Communications