The Guelph Nighthawks dug themselves a deep hole early in Saturday's game against the Niagara River Lions and couldn't climb out out it in the end.
The Nighthawks, who trailed by as many as 26 points in the opening half, fell to the River Lions 93-85 in front of a crowd of roughly 800 at the Sleeman Centre Saturday night.
They trailed by 20 at the half but narrowed the gap to just five points by the end of the third quarter.
The loss was the second in a row for Guelph, who fell to 2-3 on the season and in fifth place in the six-team Canadian Elite Basketball League.
Niagara sits atop the standings with a 5-1 record.
Chris Johnson came off the bench to lead the Nighthawks with 16 points. Jamal Reynolds had 14 and Chadrack Lufile 13. Lufile also led the team with eight rebounds.
Niagara's Guillame Payen-Boucard led all scorers with 17.
The Nighthawks shot just 35 per cent on two pointer but 39 per cent (9 for 23) from beyond the three-point line. They missed 13 of 33 free throws.
Guelph will play in Hamilton on Wednesday then hosts the Saskatchewan Rattlers Saturday night at 7 p.m.
