A second half push wasn't quite enough for the Nipissing Lakers men's basketball team Friday night on home court.

The Lakers closed the gap late in the game, but came up short, losing 83-74 to a talented Brock Badgers team at the Surtees Athletic Centre.

Nipissing trailed early and found themselves down 22-15 after one quarter of play, but kept the game within reach, even as Brock extended their lead.

At halftime, the Badgers led the Lakers 43-33.

In the second half, the Lakers posted 41 points – 17 in the third and another 24 in the fourth – to cut into their deficit, but it wasn't enough.

The Badgers pushed their lead to 13 points after three quarters, leading 63-50.

Nipissing managed 24 points in the final quarter, and trailed by just nine with minutes to go.

Unfortunately, they ran out of gas down the stretch and lost by nine.

Justin Shaver led the way with 24 pts and 15 rebounds, while Shandon Ashitei and Will Tran each had 14 points in the contest.

Nipissing is back in action Saturday night when they host the McMaster Marauders at 8pm.